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Selected News For Aug 15 – Aug 21

This thread is for the busy bees of S&L to post news items we might otherwise miss.

To make the articles as readable as possible, please stick to the format described here.

  • Only post ‘hard news’ from established media outlets.
  • Avoid editorials and ‘thought pieces,’ unless they are truly newsworthy.
  • Eschew ‘major news’ items that most people will likely have seen elsewhere.
  • Articles that fit under the topic of a recent thread should be posted as a comment there.

  • Always post less than a third of the original article.

Posts of articles that do not follow these guidelines are susceptible to being edited or deleted.

Related Articles:

 

This article was posted by Steve Gilbert on Saturday, August 15th, 2009 at 12:00 am. You can leave a response.

97 Responses to “Selected News For Aug 15 – Aug 21”

  1. canary
    August 15, 2009 at 5:33 am

    Illinoise Democrat Jan Schakouwky repeatedly promises that government health share will replace private insurance. Says a private insurance company worried that public health care would put an end to private insurance, and Jan Schakouwky repeatedly says he was right (past tense) . She says she is so sure of the competence of government health care that he has every right to be frightened. The crowd madly cheers throughout her speech. Several times Tom Coburn (R-OK) a doctor and others speak on how poor universal health care already is. Tom Coburn mentioned this week, that U.S. citizens have every right to be fearful of
    Obama’s health care putting an end to private insurers. Still, it has not been on main media. But, this is another witness that Obama intends as he has so many times commented. No private insurance by 2013. Also, note, the Indian health care is used as an example of govt insurance. I read about this little girl, and part of problem was living a very long drive from the Indian Reservation, to get better health care, and no transportation. Obama and Hillary went to Indian Reservations campaigning, but Obama “destroyed and smashed the cars” that the Indians could be driving for better health care. Point is some reservations live out in areas in rather remote areas with no polution like Pelosi’s and Gore’s turning blue skys grey. (you may have to click on your tab button

    Schakowky’s crowd explains alot. They are hate-mongers.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RY4nawrLHk

    Obama has a fit, lied and lied, calling us liars and liars, that he was all for saving late term abortion baby’s born alive.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....re=related

  2. BillK
    August 15, 2009 at 8:09 am

    Missed earlier this week – from Fox News:

    FCC’s New Hire Targeted Conservative Radio Stations in Writings

    The FCC’s new chief diversity officer laid out a battle plan two years ago for liberal activists to target conservative talk radio stations, and critics say they are concerned that he now will want to bring back the “Fairness Doctrine.”

    Mark Lloyd, who was named the associate general counsel and chief diversity officer at the Federal Communications Commission last month, is under attack for authoring a June 2007 report entitled “The Structural Imbalance of Political Talk Radio” and a subsequent essay, “Forget the Fairness Doctrine.”

    Adopted in 1949, the Fairness Doctrine held that broadcasters were obligated to provide opposing points of views on controversial issues of national importance. The policy was halted under the Reagan administration

    Lloyd insists he does not support reinstatement of the doctrine, but critics suspect he has a hidden agenda to curtail conservative talk radio. They say Lloyd is the wrong person for his new post.

    Seton Motley, director of communications for the Media Research Center, said Lloyd instructed liberals to file complaints against conservative stations in “Forget the Fairness Doctrine.”

    “What he lays out is a battle plan to use the FCC to threaten stations’ licenses with whom they do not agree with politically, and now he’s at the FCC waiting to take their calls,” Motley told FOXNews.com. “This is not about serving the local interest, it’s about political opposition.”

    Lloyd, who wrote the essay during his tenure at the Center for American Progress, said the rise and influence of Rush Limbaugh and other conservative radio hosts were traced to “relaxed ownership rules” and other pro-business regulation that destroyed localism.

    While he said he was not interested in reinstating the Fairness Doctrine, he called for “equal opportunity employment practices,” “local engagement” and “license challenges” to rectify the that perceived imbalance. “Nothing in there about the Fairness Doctrine,” he wrote.

    “The other part of our proposal that gets the ‘dittoheads’ upset is our suggestion that the commercial radio station owners either play by the rules or pay. In other words, if they don’t want to be subject to local criticism of how they are meeting their license obligations, they should pay to support public broadcasters who will operate on behalf of the local community.” …

    http://www.foxnews.com/politic.....o-stations

    Yet another Obama associate who wants to use their power to tax private business to pay for their private agenda, because of course conservatives can’t actually represent local communities, right?

    • TwilightZoned
      August 15, 2009 at 8:16 am

      I happened to catch this story on Glenn Beck Friday. Pretty frightening stuff. From what I understand Glenn will be covering this more in depth not next week, as he’s on vacation, but the following week. Ya have to wonder if any of this is constitutional, but ‘ol Barry can’t be bothered by such a petty detail.

    • Yarddog1
      August 15, 2009 at 8:56 pm

      This is simply another way to squelch free speech as well as capitalism. Liberal radio shows cannot compete because no one listens to their rhetoric. Since they can’t legitimately compete, they’ll simply shut their competition down. Where is the public outcry about this being patently unconstitutional? The libtards will not rest until there is total anarchy.

      Lies, Lies, Lies
      Socialist Agenda
      Fraud, Abuse and Corruption
      Stealing our Freedom
      Exempting Themselves from Laws
      Opressive Taxation
      Arrogance
      Unconstitutional Activities
      The List Goes On………………………………..

      A cornered dog, or any animal for that matter, willl fight to the death. A lot of people are feeling cornered right now. Watch out for the teeth.

  3. BillK
    August 15, 2009 at 8:19 am

    OK… Fox News reports on a “Joker poster contest” but calls Alex Jones a “conservative radio host?!?!”

    Florida Police Question Vandalism Suspect About Obama Joker Poster

    By Joshua Rhett Miller

    Police in Florida have questioned a teenager who admitted to hanging dozens of posters depicting President Obama as the Joker, and suggested that the prank could be part of a nationwide contest launched by a conservative talk show host to brandish the posters everywhere.

    Clermont Police Capt. Eric Jensen said the suspect who was taken into custody but not charged, told investigators he affixed some of the posters recently found on the city’s light poles, public and private buildings, overpasses, mailboxes and other locations.

    “We’re still trying to gather more suspects and ascertain more witnesses,” Jensen told FOXNews.com. “We haven’t made any arrests yet.”

    Jensen said witnesses told investigators a “couple of kids” were also responsible for affixing the posters along with the unidentified teenager. Charges of vandalism could be considered, he said. The severity of the charges will be depend on damages to property, which have not be tallied yet.

    Dozens of the posters first appeared earlier this month throughout Los Angeles, portraying Obama as Batman’s nemesis from “The Dark Knight,” with the word socialism printed above and below the commander in chief’s face. The posters depicted Obama with sloppy red lipstick, a white face and darkened eyes, the same make-up that late actor Heath Ledger wore throughout the latest Batman movie.

    Jensen estimated 500 posters reportedly were strewn across the city of Claremont, but that figure was difficult to verify since an untold number of them had been removed as of Friday.

    “We don’t really have a count because people who were offended started tearing them down,” he said. “But we know there’s more than one suspect.”

    Jensen said investigators are attempting to gather enough evidence to present the case to the state attorney’s office for review.

    No motive has been formally determined, but Jensen noted a contest posted on Infowars.com that called on people to download a version of the poster to be hung in “public spaces” in their neighborhood.

    “We’re the only ones who have seemed to have gotten it, though,” Jensen said, referring to participation in the contest. “It was a nationwide event from what I understand.”

    As of late Friday, at least 406 comments were posted on a Web site featuring the contest sponsored by Alex Jones, who hosts a syndicated talk show on the Genesis Communication Network. Details of the contest launched late last week show a top prize of a $1,000 for the person who can demonstrate the best application of the posters around his or her hometown.

    “Please do not post on federal or private property as this will be considered vandalism and will be counterproductive and diminish the message of the Obama Joker poster,” the blog post announcing the contest reads.

    “In order to awaken the people about Obama’s agenda, Alex is organizing a contest centered around the “Obama as Joker” poster that has Democrats and Obamanoids going ballistic.”

    Jones urged participants to post a video of their “poster offensive” on YouTube and the site includes a download of the poster for people to copy and use. The contest was slated to end Friday. Other prizes offered were cash winnings of $500, $200 and an original Alex Jones “Obama as Hitler” artwork. …

    http://www.foxnews.com/politic.....ker-poster

    Far from being a “conservative radio show host,” Alex Jones is a conspiracy theorist and “truther” who runs the conspiracy site “infowars.com” and, in addition to 9/11 BS (the latest – there were no commercial planes on 9/11, they were military drones disguised as commercial planes), is currently promoting such theories that the upcoming H1N1 swine flu vaccine is a “toxic cancer virus.”

    But hey, Obama’s friends can get equal time, as he’s also made a Bush as Joker poster available at his web site.

    Still, I’m disappointed at Fox for branding him as just another conservative talk show host.

    (As an aside, people really should visit his site to see how convoluted and widespread the 9/11 “truther” BS has become, to the point where a PBS station in Denver is regularly re-airing a “truther” film; it’s just sick.)

    • canary
      August 15, 2009 at 11:24 am

      Obama has been setting a poor example to children. Obama’s always making fun of people. He laughed at the wishing Cheney would have a heart attack, special olympics, laughed at terrorizing NYC with AirForce 1. Maybe he’ll invite the kids for a beer summit.

    • proreason
      August 15, 2009 at 12:49 pm

      “Obama has been setting a poor example to children.”

      It’s way more than that.

      The clear message is……you can do anything you can get away with. Might makes right. And your personal end justifies the means.

      There couldn’t be a clearer message of hedonism, irresponsibility, and narcissism. Smoke, drink, drugs, irresponsible sex…..just don’t get caught (and abort or play the race card if you do get caught). Do whatever you want, using deceipt as needed….then get the other guy to pay for it, using force if necessary.

      When you put just the personal principles down on paper, without even going to the policy, it’s shocking.

      No American could have imagined this a year ago.

      Some criminals have a sort of perverted moral code.

      Our criminal in chief wouldn’t know what a moral code was if it hit him in the head.

    • MinnesotaRush
      August 15, 2009 at 1:43 pm

      25 years ago this o-blah-blah dude wouldn’t have made it TO the primaries. And not because of anything to do with his skin color; but everything to do with his moral and ethical emptiness.

    • canary
      August 15, 2009 at 6:41 pm

      Obama said children were punishment. Admitted his own wife complained he was not a good father to their girls.

      Obama even wrote how much he was looking to return to Indonesia, but traveling with his children made it difficult.

      He and wife are bad role models to their two little girls. One day they’ll figure out the fake and he’ll have alot of explaining to do. oops. I meant he’d have alot of blaming to do.

  4. canary
    August 15, 2009 at 8:34 am

    AP: Egyptian fishermen sail home with captive pirates
    By Hadeel Al-shalchi, Associated Press Writer Aug 15 2009

    CAIRO – The crews of two Egyptian fishing vessels that overpowered pirates off the Somali coast are sailing back home with eight captive pirates on board, said the owner of one of the boats Saturday.

    Mohammad Nasr said the 33 fishermen turned down the Egyptian government’s offer to fly them back Friday from Yemen, saying that sailing back would be a symbol of their courage and pride.

    He said the pirates are locked in a room on board the boats and there are plans for them to be tried in Egyptian courts.

    Nasr, who has been in telephone contact with his crew throughout the ordeal, said the boats were taken hostage by pirates four months ago on their way to fish near Yemen.

    According to a Yemeni businessman who hired the boats, Ahmed Samara and Momtaz 1, the fishermen on both vessels coordinated their attack and some of the pirates even cooperated with them, making it easier for the other gunmen to be overpowered.

    In April, an American crew fought off Somali pirates until the crew’s captain offered himself as a hostage in a bid to save their lives. He was held hostage in a lifeboat for five days and was freed after U.S. Navy snipers killed three of his captors.

    International patrols, including by U.S., European, Chinese, Russian and Indian ships, have failed to halt the pirate attacks.

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200.....lhbmZpc2g-

    • Liberals Demise
      August 15, 2009 at 11:12 am

      There is no doubt that these piss ant pirates won’t be getting 3 hots, a cot, medical, dental, lawyer and TV no time soon.
      Here is to Allah sending their fresh soles to Hell …… A.S.A.P!!

  5. canary
    August 15, 2009 at 9:57 am

    McClatchy Washington Bureau: Bomb explodes outside U.S. headquarters in Afghanistan Sat. Aug. 15, 2009
    Jonathan S. Landay | McClatchy Newspapers

    KABUL, Afghanistan — A massive car bomb apparently driven by a suicide bomber exploded outside the front gate of the headquarters of U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan Saturday morning, sending a shock wave that could be heard across the city.

    Sayed Abdul Ghaffar Sayedzada, the head of the Kabul police department’s criminal investigation division, said one person was killed and 64 wounded. But an Afghan army ambulance driver who identified himself as Shakir said at least three people had died.

    A second military ambulance driver, Khayal Mohammad, gave similar figures.

    The headquarters houses the top commanders of the U.S.-led International Security Assistance Forces, including the top American military officer in Afghanistan, Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal. It was not immediately known if McChrystal was at the headquarters when the explosion took place.

    Saturday’s explosion clearly rattled some officials and diplomats who quickly canceled meetings.

    Earlier AP article said 3 troops killed, but things being secret.

  6. canary
    August 15, 2009 at 11:14 am

    AP: Hamas crushes challenge by al-Qaida-inspired group
    Associated Press Writer Ibrahim Barzak Aug 5 2009

    RAFAH, Gaza Strip – The leader of an al-Qaida-inspired group in the Gaza Strip blew himself up during a shootout Saturday

    At least 24 people were killed..fighting broke out Friday when Hamas security men surrounded a mosque in the southern Gaza town of Rafah … the Soldiers of the Companions of God, were holed up.

    The head of the radical Islamic group, Abdel-Latif Moussa, detonated an explosives vest he was wearing …. killing a mediator

    Dr. Moaiya Hassanain of the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said a total of 24 people, including six Hamas police officers and an 11-year-old girl, were killed and 150 were wounded.

    The group’s Web site vowed revenge: “We swear to God to avenge the martyrs’ blood and we will turn their women into widows.”

    Hamas also confirmed the death in the fighting of one of its high-level commanders, Abu Jibril Shimali, whom Israel said orchestrated the capture three years ago of Sgt. Gilad Schalit, an Israeli soldier who is still being held by Hamas.

    The fighting appeared to confirm Hamas’ iron rule in Gaza despite a punishing Israeli and Egyptian blockade that keeps all but basic humanitarian supplies from entering

    Radical splinter groups such as Jund Ansar Allah call for a global jihad against the entire Western world,

    Hamas is also investigating the launching of 11 homemade rockets from Gaza into Egypt… injuring a young girl,..
    …
    Ansar Allah…in June after it claimed responsibility for a failed attempt to attack Israel from Gaza on horseback.

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200.....a_shootout

    I thought AP originally reported 100 Hamas killed. Strange day.

  7. Confucius
    August 15, 2009 at 1:10 pm

    From AP:

    Colonial BancGroup shut down by federal officials

    By MARCY GORDON, AP Business Writer

    WASHINGTON – Real estate lender Colonial BancGroup Inc. has been shut down by federal officials in the biggest U.S. bank failure this year.

    The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., which was appointed receiver of the Montgomery, Ala.-based Colonial and its about $25 billion in assets, said the failed bank’s 346 branches in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Nevada and Texas will reopen at the normal times starting on Saturday as offices of Winston-Salem, N.C.-based BB&T. …

    Regulators also closed four other banks: Community Bank of Arizona, based in Phoenix; Union Bank, based in Gilbert, Ariz.; Community Bank of Nevada, based in Las Vegas; and Dwelling House Savings and Loan Association, located in Pittsburgh. …

    The failure of Colonial is expected to cost the deposit insurance fund an estimated $2.8 billion and that of Community Bank of Nevada, $781.5 million; Union Bank, $61 million; Community Bank of Arizona, $25.5 million; and Dwelling House, $6.8 million.

    The 77 bank failures nationwide this year compare with 25 last year and three in 2007.

    As the economy has soured — with unemployment rising, home prices tumbling and loan defaults soaring — bank failures have cascaded and sapped billions out of the deposit insurance fund. It now stands at its lowest level since 1993, $13 billion as of the first quarter. …

    The number of banks on the FDIC’s list of problem institutions leaped to 305 in the first quarter — the highest number since 1994 during the savings and loan crisis — from 252 in the fourth quarter. …

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200.....losures_17

    So much for TARP I and II.

    Quiz: Who is/was president during the top two periods of FDIC “problem institutions”?

    Hint: Both are “black.”

    • Helena
      August 15, 2009 at 1:45 pm

      Holy cats. This has sure gotten a whole lot of no coverage, hasn’t it?

    • canary
      August 15, 2009 at 6:34 pm

      Obama hates the word colonial. It’s just his word for U.S. States

    • Confucius
      August 16, 2009 at 10:52 am

      Additional information from MarketWatch.com:

      Colonial BancGroup becomes biggest bank failure of 2009

      By Alistair Barr & Ronald D. Orol

      Colonial BancGroup Inc. has become the largest bank failure this year as the 2009 toll of financial institutions approaches 80. …

      This year, 78 banks have failed this year as a lingering recession and surging unemployment leaves the industry nursing heavy loan losses. More than 1,000 banks may fail during the next three to five years, RBC Capital Markets estimated in February.

      The FDIC estimated Friday that the Colonial deal will cost its Deposit Insurance Fund about $2.8 billion. The regulator recently imposed a one-time assessment on banks to top the fund up. However, the surge in bank failures has increased concern about the fund, despite the fact that the FDIC can borrow hundreds of billions of dollars from the Treasury Department if it needs to. …

      http://www.marketwatch.com/sto.....2009-08-14

      Holy crap! (Cats too!) There are concerns over FDIC’s solvency?

  8. proreason
    August 15, 2009 at 1:43 pm

    Obama’s extensive paper trail. (Just kidding….all erased). From Free Republic:

    “….Zilch Obama has lived for almost 50 years without leaving any footprints — none! There is no Obama documentation — no bona fides — no paper trail — nothing.

    Original, vault copy birth certificate — Not released (lawyers’ fees = $2,000,000 ~ birth certificate = $15)

    Certification of Live Birth — Released — Counterfeit

    Obama/Dunham marriage license — Not released (if one exists)

    Obama/Dunham divorce — Released (by independent investigators)

    Kindergarten records — Records lost (this is a big one — see here — read two frames)

    Soetoro/Dunham marriage license — Not released

    Soetoro adoption records — Not released

    Fransiskus Assisi School School application — Released (by independent investigators)

    Punahou School records — Not released

    Soetoro/Dunham divorce — Released (by independent investigators)

    Selective Service Registration — Released — Counterfeit

    Occidental College records — Not released

    Passport — Not released and records scrubbed clean by Obama’s terrorism and intelligence adviser.

    Columbia College records — Not released

    Columbia thesis — “Soviet Nuclear Disarmament” — Not released

    Harvard College records — Not released

    Harvard Law Review articles — None

    Illinois Bar Records — Not released.

    Baptism certificate — None

    Medical records — Not released

    Illinois State Senate records — None

    Illinois State Senate schedule — Lost

    Law practice client list — Not released

    University of Chicago scholarly articles — None
    …”

    http://www.freerepublic.com/fo.....6746/posts

    Well, he’s the president.

    Who needs to know anything more than that?

    • Liberals Demise
      August 15, 2009 at 2:18 pm

      Kinda makes one proud to say our Prez is a real, “No Where Man”.
      His presidential library is gonna be some kinda empty (and fruitless).

    • jobeth
      August 15, 2009 at 6:40 pm

      LD…Never even thought about what would his presidential library would look like! That’s something to think about…LOL

    • canary
      August 16, 2009 at 4:36 am

      yet, Obama who won’t release his personal resume, wants to violate privacy rights of the 4th amendment, wants citizens personal everything, and Accorn to bust down peoples doors for 2010 census.
      He is instituting communism. It’s all he knows.

  9. proreason
    August 15, 2009 at 1:49 pm

    Carville says on CNN that the Public Option is dead. via YouTube:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YDeMVb_-yo

    America should insist that there are no pathways to the Public Option either (among many many other requirements).

    • canary
      August 16, 2009 at 4:40 am

      Thanks pro. That is the longest I’ve lasted watching CNN Communist News Network. I flip and within aprox 15 seconds I see it get worse and worse. Wish O’Reilly would move to CNN.

  10. proreason
    August 15, 2009 at 1:54 pm

    Pray for more Global Warming! From the ClimateDepot website:

    Astronomers: ‘Sun’s output may decline significantly inducing another little ice age on the Earth’

    http://www.climatedepot.com/a/.....-the-Earth

    We are in a hiatus between Ice Ages, you know.

    This article is just one more illustration of the the utter mendacity of the Global Warming power grab.

    • Rusty Shackleford
      August 16, 2009 at 2:34 pm

      My god, I’d better stock up on warm underwear and firewood!

      Or….is it sunblock and bermuda shorts?

      (I’m sooooo confused)

  11. proreason
    August 15, 2009 at 3:06 pm

    “Obama the Joker Disses the US Postal Service to Promote Government Controlled Health Care.”

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....edded#t=97

    thanks to American Thinker:

    http://www.americanthinker.com.....vitas.html

    • canary
      August 16, 2009 at 4:56 am

      The USPS have been playing poor for decades. It’s to make the employees fearful and work harder. They started crying for a bail-out the second they heard they were being given out.

      They are non-profit, and managers don’t want to make money, to simply hand it over to congress, so they spend money on a huge manager bonus system. The managers have powerful unions with attornies, that’s makes it impossible to fire, demote, or lay them off. There will always have to be a post office to protect mail. You can only send care-packages through USPS, and they have law enforcement for mail fraud and all. They will at least exisit for big government. lol.

  12. nuthingbettertodo
    August 16, 2009 at 2:07 am

    A little late night creep show….. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTMP4OICWco

  13. canary
    August 16, 2009 at 5:25 am

    AP: Gun law complaints trail Obama during park tours
    By Associated Press Writer Liz Sidoti Aug 16 2009

    YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. – Family in tow for a tour of national treasures far from Washington, President Barack Obama is trailed by criticism from gun opponents and parks advocates for allowing firearms into such majestic places as this…and the Statue of Liberty — but they need to act quickly,” said Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

    A bill that Obama signed in May permits licensed gun owners to bring firearms into national parks and wildlife refuges as long as state law allows it. The new law, which takes effect in February

    “If they wanted to fight that, they could have,” said Jonathan Dorn, editorial director of NationalParkTrips.com and editor-in-chief of Backpacker magazine.

    Still, Dorn called the law “one hiccup” in an otherwise supportive parks agenda so far by the Obama administration.

    The Democratic-controlled Congress passed the less restrictive measure with bipartisan support after Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., inserted it into Obama-backed legislation imposing new restrictions on credit card companies.

    The Obama family — the president, the first lady and daughters Malia and Sasha, and other relatives — had a busy sightseeing weekend planned: visiting Yellowstone National Park on Saturday and touring Grand Canyon National Park on Sunday.

    “Oh, that’s pretty good. Cool! Look at that. That’s a geyser there,” a casually dressed Obama said as he and his family watching..

    Earlier, his entourage walked wooden boardwalks and bridges in the picturesque landscape. Their stops come during one of three summer weekends

    when the administration waived entrance fees at 147 national parks and monuments to spur tourism and boost local economies.

    At this point, “it’s more rhetoric than it is decisions” but “we believe there’s a pretty bold and ambitious agenda brewing for national parks in this administration,” said Ron Tipton, the National Parks Conservation Association’s senior vice president of policy.

    He signed legislation that set aside more than 2 million acres in nine states as protected wilderness. That was one of the largest expansions of wilderness protection in a quarter-century. Supporters said the law would strengthen the national parks system;

    opponents called it a “land grab.”

    Since then, the administration has have taken several other steps that have encouraged parks advocates:

    _Proposed cutting the number of snowmobiles allowed daily ..

    _Halted the filing of new mining claims on nearly 1 million acres of U.S. Forest Service land near the Grand Canyon for two years while the administration studies whether uranium mining there should be permanently prohibited. It also has pledged to overhaul a 137-year-old hardrock mining law that favors the mining industry.

    and increased the operations budget request to Congress for parks by $100 million.

    _Picked Jon Jarvis, a biologist and 30-year-veteran who oversees the national parks across the West, to head the National Parks Service.

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200.....al_parks_6 photo

    I guess Dorn missed Obama’s threats National Parks may be shut down in two years. At this point I have to go with the Republicans that this is a land grab. And I don’t just mean the mining.
    Obama and family are checking out their new Kingdom, if all goes his way. That’s why he went along with the gun-control, so his organizers and Obommie army allready have that law covered.

    • Rusty Shackleford
      August 16, 2009 at 8:12 am

      Why is he signing any bill about any kind of gun action when clearly he has no right to do so. State’s rights allow for more restrictive laws but not at the national level.

      He truly is a weevil.

      And as long as we have the free-est nation on Earth, there will always be those who say…”we need more laws…..we NEED more laws”. But to them, laws are for those people who are doing something they don’t like. And, as long as they don’t infringe on THEIR idea of what’s right, then there’s no problem.

      “Whenever you demand of others, you must first examine that which you demand of yourself”

  14. canary
    August 16, 2009 at 7:00 am

    Gulf Times :Illegal migrants discovered in refrigerated lorry
    Fourteen would-be immigrants from Afghanistan were discovered alive in a refrigerated lorry in France, French media reported yesteday in Paris.
    The daily Le Parisien reported that the young Afghans stole aboard the lorry overnight near the northern port city of Calais while the driver slept.
    According to the report, the 14 believed the vehicle would take them to Britain, when in fact it was headed to the south of France. After around 300km the stowaways, aged between 15 and 18 years, began to beat against the vehicle from the inside, alerting the Hungarian lorry driver who then called the police.
    All the would-be immigrants, two of whom suffered from hypothermia, were examined by physicians.
    Aug. 4th, 2009
    http://www.gulf-times.com/site.....rent_id=23

    • Rusty Shackleford
      August 16, 2009 at 8:07 am

      Gee, I sure hope the French authorities gave them hot food and found them a place to live. ‘Twould be a shame if they …oh I don’t know…..put them back on a boat and sent them back from whence they came.

      I’m just sayin’

  15. proreason
    August 16, 2009 at 12:23 pm

    MUST READ Am Thinker article about the long term statist strategy to implement state control of the country via health care. It’s a long article but well worth the read.

    http://www.americanthinker.com.....risis.html

    It has more about Medicare and Medical Malpractice lawsuits than you can read anywhere else.

    For example, for medicare “As an essentially free benefit to the poor, Medicaid has no tax associated with it, so it is covered by state and federal income tax revenues — that’s you and me again, sucker. In 2006, Medicaid spending alone totaled $314 billion.”….which means (my assessment) you paay about 30% of your income taxes one way or another for Medicaid.

    For Medical Malpractice, “According to a study performed by the Pacific Research Institute (PRI), the United States pays out $589 billion per year in excessive tort litigation. That is approximately 5 percent of GDP and costs a family of four on average about $8,000 per year.” That’s stunning.

    And you thought your tax burden was just 35-50% of income. If hiddent taxes like these were countred, the tax burden of even a middle-class person might well by 60-70% (some paid via higher costs rather than directly in taxes).

  16. BillK
    August 17, 2009 at 1:44 pm

    From Los Angeles’ KTLA Television:

    Obama Administration Says Marriage Law Unfair

    WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama insisted Monday he still wants to scrap what he calls a discriminatory federal marriage law, even as his administration angered gay rights activists by defending it in court.

    The president said his administration’s stance in a California court case is not about defending traditional marriage, but is instead about defending traditional legal practice.

    Justice Department lawyers filed new papers Monday seeking to throw out a lawsuit brought by a gay couple challenging the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA. Gay rights groups say that by doing so, the administration is failing to follow through on campaign promises made by Obama last year to work to repeal the law.

    Department lawyers are defending the law “as it traditionally does when acts of Congress are challenged,” Obama said in a statement.

    The Clinton-era law denies federal recognition of gay marriage and gives states the right to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states.

    Obama said he plans to work with Congress to repeal the law, and said his administration “will continue to examine and implement measures that will help extend rights and benefits” to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender couples under existing law.

    The government says in its court filing that it will defend the statute in this case because a reasonable argument can be made that the law is constitutional – a standard practice of government lawyers.

    The mixed message got a mixed review from Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights group.

    “It is not enough to disavow this discriminatory law, and then wait for Congress or the courts to act,” Solmonese said in a statement. “While they contend that it is the DOJ’s duty to defend an act of Congress, we contend that it is the administration’s duty to defend every citizen from discrimination.” …

    http://www.ktla.com/news/landi.....6834.story

    Why bother? His buddies at SCOTUS will just rule it unconstitutional soon enough.

  17. BillK
    August 17, 2009 at 1:48 pm

    From the Associated Press:

    California Lawmakers Boost Staff Pay

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Against a backdrop of deep fiscal distress, several state lawmakers rewarded their employees with pay hikes during the first half of the year, an Associated Press review of legislative pay records showed.

    At least 87 California Assembly staff members received raises totaling more than $430,000 on an annualized basis, even as the state faced a growing budget deficit that led to furloughs and pay cuts for many other government workers and steep reductions in core services.

    The review of records obtained under the state Legislative Open Records Act found that salary bumps went to three employees in the office of Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, the Los Angeles Democrat who leads the 80-member chamber, and three to staff members of the Democratic caucus she oversees.

    In the 40-member Senate, nine staffers had a boost in pay, leading to an annualized increase of $152,000.

    Aides to several members of the Assembly and Senate said some of the increases were not raises in the traditional sense. Rather, they described the higher pay as extra compensation for employees who were working more hours.

    The Assembly also trimmed about 13 percent from its overall payroll in the current fiscal year, while the Senate instituted one-day-a-month furloughs in July for most staffers, spokeswomen for both houses said.

    Even so, the pay increases to dozens of legislative staffers between January and the end of June came as tens of thousands of state workers were seeing pay cuts of nearly 10 percent.

    In the Assembly, 39 employees received pay increases of 10 percent or more. Of those, 15 saw increases of 20 percent or more. Seven of the nine Senate staffers who received increases saw their pay rise by 10 percent or more as they began working more hours, according to staff.

    Five Assembly staffers and two Senate staffers who already made $100,000 a year or more saw their pay rise.

    In the Assembly, 10 increases went to Republican staffers and 12 went to security staff employed by the Assembly Rules Committee. Most of the rest went to employees of Democratic lawmakers or their committees, according to the AP review.

    The Assembly had 1,206 employees on its payroll as of June, said Shannon Murphy, a spokeswoman for Bass. Of those, about 7 percent had received pay increases, the AP review found.

    Murphy said the Assembly’s annual payroll had decreased by $1.3 million in June from a year earlier, with 15 fewer employees.

    The pay of 10 employees also decreased in the Assembly during the first six months of 2009 by a total annualized amount of $102,000, either because those workers were putting in fewer hours or changed jobs within the Legislature. …

    http://www.ktla.com/news/landi.....0318.story

    What a wonderful show of fiscal discipline!

    • proreason
      August 17, 2009 at 1:50 pm

      What good is it to be a commissar if you can’t live like one?

      All the moreso during the California Depression. Depressions are when the security of an iron-fisted State is most appreciated by it’s dedicated guardians.

  18. Rusty Shackleford
    August 17, 2009 at 11:15 pm

    White House says it did send unwanted e-mails

    From the AP

    By PHILIP ELLIOTT, Associated Press Writer Philip Elliott, Associated Press Writer – 50 mins ago

    WASHINGTON – After insisting no one was receiving unsolicited e-mails from the White House, officials reversed their story Monday night and blamed outside political groups for the unwanted messages from the tech-savvy operation.

    White House online director Macon Phillips said in a blog posting that independent groups — he didn’t name them — had signed up their members to receive regular White House updates about Obama’s projects, priorities and speeches.

    The White House had consistently denied that anyone who hadn’t sought the e-mails had received them.

    “It has come to our attention that some people may have been subscribed to our e-mail lists without their knowledge — likely as a result of efforts by outside groups of all political stripes — and we regret any inconvenience caused by receiving an unexpected message,” Phillips wrote.

    Rest of article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200.....ama_e_mail

    ————

    Again, here I am falling over dead with “not surprise”.

    No presidency that I can remember in my lifetime has been so replete with not just lying per se, but with such information mismanagement. Nobody in the White House information corps knows what’s going on…nothing is run through channels I’m sure and in typical liberal fashion…everyone wants to look like they are the “it” person who’s in-the-know and can speak with authority.

    It’s a typical ego thing for the left.

    But it just annoys the rest of America. “So which is it? Yes? No? Whatever! Oy….shlep your wares someplace else”

  19. BillK
    August 17, 2009 at 11:44 pm

    A little judicial activism.

    From the Associated Press:

    Maryland circuit court judge admits he deflated courthouse worker’s tire over parking spot

    LA PLATA, Md. (AP) — A circuit court judge has acknowledged he deflated a tire on a car parked in a restricted area near his courthouse earlier this week. But he isn’t apologizing.

    Charles County Judge Robert C. Nalley told station WUSA on Wednesday that he let out the air because leaving notes for those parked illegally isn’t effective.

    The chief administrative judge for Maryland’s 7th Circuit said Nalley told him what he had done on Monday. Judge William D. Missouri suggested to The Washington Post that Nalley might be sanctioned.

    The owner of the car, Jean Washington, works part-time at the courthouse in La Plata as part of a cleaning crew and said she didn’t know she couldn’t park in the restricted area. She said she never received any warnings. …

    http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/s.....ATES_TIRES

    Why is it not surprising that a judge feels he can take the law into his own hands?

  20. canary
    August 18, 2009 at 2:38 am

    Afro-American with loaded pistol and M-15 at Obama protest in Phoenix. I tried to get Phoenix Channel 3 news. The man was on the pro-Obama health care side of street, and news was totally okay with it. Even had a police officer say he was not at all concerned. His worry and fear was the anti-Obama Health Care protestors might to something to the heavily armed man. Oh yeah, where it’s legal to carry arms in the open to protect yourself, anti-health reform protesters would really attack him. If the black man had been white, on the anti-reform side of street, secret service would have have arrested it.

    Here’s CNN video, not quite as sickening as Phoenix channel. 3
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3L2mxTmTe8

    Also, Rahm Emanuels past video has more meaning now that the Obama’s adminstration has their list of terrorists, the list that anti-abortion, anti-taxe protestors, and other harmless individuals are on the terrorist list, because Rahm Emanuel says “possible” terrorists should not be allowed to have a gun, and that the government will hire more police to get these guns away from the “possible” terrorists. He calls it the the “no fly list”. So, all these lists the Obama socialist party have greater significance than every before.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....re=related

  21. canary
    August 18, 2009 at 3:04 am

    News on Afganistan and Iraq has mostly come to a halt. I get more war updates, several e-mails, each with several articles daily. I couple of days ago, what little I recieved was rehashed news. Through much digging I was able find that a U.S. soldier was killed approx the 13th. It was in main media that a British soldier was killed.
    Makes you wonder if the U.S. has done some kind of internet commie thing as Iran did after the election, when they were killing protestors. Also, I get daily alerts from Israel news, and the little I’ve recieved is just old news. So, not able to get the real picture. BUT…..
    PLEASE REMEMBER TO PRAY FOR OUR SOLDIERS beginning AUG 19TH, as it will be the AUG 20th Afganistan elections. The attempts to not cover the recent bombing in front of the U.S. embassy, seems to be imply there is a gag order on our media.

    Also, interesting article below as Obama has claimed he is not concerned of who wins the election in Afganistan, and Hillary is playing passive too.

    AP: Karzai’s image tainted by power of warlords
    18-Aug 11:29
    He was once the toast of the town, a charming, urbane Afghan tribal leader voicing Jeffersonian ideals in perfect English, gliding effortlessly through the halls of power in Washington and the baking tents of the Afghan desert.

    Western critics now accuse him of weak leadership, cutting deals with warlords, tolerating drug smugglers and ignoring rampant corruption that has fed the Taliban insurgency.

    US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said last week that the US would work with “whomever the people of Afghanistan select” but would be “very specific about what we need to see coming” from the next administration – including effective local governance and a vigorous campaign against corruption.

    “When Hamid Karzai was quiet and there was no trouble between us, Hamid Karzai was a good man,” he joked during an interview last month with The Associated Press. “And now that there is a little trouble, he’s a bad man.”

    his younger brother Ahmed Wali Karzai is involved in the drug trade have circulated in Kabul for months. The younger Karzai denies the allegations.

    Karzai’s decision last April to pardon five convicted drug leaders, including the nephew of a close political ally, enraged Western officials

    http://www.3news.co.nz/Karzais.....eID=117071

    • Liberals Make Great Speedbumps
      August 18, 2009 at 3:35 am

      Speaking of news black outs, O’Reilly had an e-mail from a soldier in Afghanistan tonight that said Fox news was “blacked out” over there for a while but has since been restored. Things that make you go hmmmm……

    • canary
      August 18, 2009 at 6:42 am

      Liberals Dismise, great. Soldier told me while they were over there, 3 tours, (he’s been back about a year now), they could only watch CNN. Sniper buddy told me over and over don’t believe the news, and Obama himself mentioned on his 2003 trip (stayed 1 and half days, but left the group played hookie to comfort the Palenstine’s against Israel. Recently, aside him following that Faucllker guy, I found another place in his 94 book, where he went on about poor Indonesia and Palenstine. He is definitely anti-Israel. And they know it. Anyways, the soldiers told him they were distraught over the CNN news, that they were making great progress, and to please go back and tell America. Anyways sure hope the Obamies don’t here. Someone told me, that they can’t get any conservative news in Iraq.

  22. canary
    August 18, 2009 at 3:16 am

    HOW BIG IS WALMART? Maybe Walmart should run the government

    1. Americans spend $36,000,000 at Wal-Mart every hour of every day.

    2. This works out to $20,928 profit every minute!

    3. Wal-Mart will sell more from January 1 to St.Patrick’s Day (March
    than Target sells all year.

    4. Wal-Mart is bigger than Home Depot + Kroger + Target + Sears + Costco + K-Mart combined.

    5. Wal-Mart employs 1.6 million people and is the largest private employer.

    6. Wal-Mart is the largest company in the history of the World.

    7. Wal-Mart now sells more food than Kroger & Safeway combined, and keep in mind they did this in only 15 years.

    8. During this same period, 31 Supermarket chains sought bankruptcy (including Winn-Dixie).

    9. Wal-Mart now sells more food than any other store in the world.

    10. Wal-Mart has approx 3,900 stores in the USA of which 1,906 are Super Centers; this is 1,000 more than it had 5 years ago.

    11 This year 7.2 billion different purchasing experiences will occur at a
    Wal-Mart store. (Earth’s population is approximately 6.5 billion.)

    12. 90% of all Americans live within 15 miles of a Wal-Mart

    • BillK
      August 18, 2009 at 2:52 pm

      You misunderstand.

      To the left, this is precisely why Wal-Mart must be stopped.

      In fact item #12 is probably grounds for an anti-trust lawsuit against them, as they’re obviously monopolizing the industry.

    • proreason
      August 18, 2009 at 3:24 pm

      Yeh, but WalMart has joined CVS, Best Buy, and several other businesses inthe ludicrous boycott of Glenn Beck.

      Beck is funny as wall as smart and informed.

      So the lunatic fringe must destroy him. Why, he might appeal to a young person!! Must protect must protect must protect jon stewart monopoly on political humor.

      It’s shameful that WalMart has joined in.

  23. sheehanjihad
    August 18, 2009 at 7:37 am

    Can you imagine then, a company as big as Walmart pulling advertising on the Glenn Beck show because of threats from the left of a boycott? There isnt one root sandal and hemp cloth wearing Prius driving liberal leftist that would be caught dead in Walmart……and the ones who regularly shop there are hmmmmm. Conservatives of Middle America…normal folks…the ones who arent going to shop as much or at all with a company that like all liberal democrats, is putting money, power, and ideology over the citizen. Good luck with that Wally! You wont miss me…..you might miss thousands…hell, you may even miss millions…but I doubt it. You fear the left’s open rage and protests more than the ire of conservatives boycotting your stores. You did the math….and you suck.

  24. texaspsue
    August 18, 2009 at 9:34 am

    From The Examiner:

    Cindy Sheehan heads to the Vineyard; wants anti-war demonstrators to emulate health-care protesters; will anyone cover the story?

    By Byron York

    This morning the anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan — the woman who spent so much time leading well-publicized protests outside President Bush’s ranch in Crawford, Texas — announced that she will demonstrate next week at Martha’s Vineyard, where President Obama will be vacationing. “There are several things that we wish to accomplish with this protest on Martha’s Vineyard,” Sheehan said in a statement:

    First of all, no good social or economic change will come about with the continuation or escalation of the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. We simply can’t afford to continue this tragically expensive foreign policy.

    Secondly, we as a movement need to continue calling for an immediate end to the occupations even when there is a Democrat in the Oval Office. There is still no Noble Cause no matter how we examine the policies.

    Thirdly, the body bags aren’t taking a vacation and as the U.S.-led violence surges in Afghanistan and Pakistan, so are the needless deaths on every side.

    And, finally, if the right-wing can force the government to drop any kind of public option or government supported health care, then we need to exert the same kind of pressure to force a speedy end to the occupations.

    Will Sheehan’s stay in Massachusetts attract as much attention as her time in Texas? Probably not.

    http://tinyurl.com/pxyd2q</blockquote

    She's baaack! I am also interested to see if the MSM covers the anti-war protests against BO.

  25. texaspsue
    August 18, 2009 at 9:40 am

    From The Examiner:

    Cindy Sheehan heads to the Vineyard; wants anti-war demonstrators to emulate health-care protesters; will anyone cover the story?

    By Byron York:

    This morning the anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan — the woman who spent so much time leading well-publicized protests outside President Bush’s ranch in Crawford, Texas — announced that she will demonstrate next week at Martha’s Vineyard, where President Obama will be vacationing. “There are several things that we wish to accomplish with this protest on Martha’s Vineyard,” Sheehan said in a statement:

    First of all, no good social or economic change will come about with the continuation or escalation of the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. We simply can’t afford to continue this tragically expensive foreign policy.

    Secondly, we as a movement need to continue calling for an immediate end to the occupations even when there is a Democrat in the Oval Office. There is still no Noble Cause no matter how we examine the policies.

    Thirdly, the body bags aren’t taking a vacation and as the U.S.-led violence surges in Afghanistan and Pakistan, so are the needless deaths on every side.

    And, finally, if the right-wing can force the government to drop any kind of public option or government supported health care, then we need to exert the same kind of pressure to force a speedy end to the occupations.

    Will Sheehan’s stay in Massachusetts attract as much attention as her time in Texas? Probably not.

    http://tinyurl.com/pxyd2q

    She baaaack! I am also interested to see if the MSM covers an antiwar protest against BO.

    “wants anti-war demonstrators to emulate health-care protesters”

    Could it be that Cindy is impressed with the Tea Party/ Townhall protesters? [Visions of grandeur?]

  26. canary
    August 18, 2009 at 10:00 am

    AP: Bomb attack kills 7 in Kabul; UN staff among dead
    By Associated Press Writer Fisnik Abrashi Aug 18 2009

    KABUL – A Taliban suicide bomber attacked a NATO convoy Tuesday on the outskirts of Kabul, killing at least seven people and wounding more than 50

    Two U.S. soldiers were killed and three wounded in a separate blast, the U.S. command said.

    Despite the uptick in violence, NATO announced Tuesday that its forces would refrain from offensive military operations on election day and would undertake missions only if they were “deemed necessary to protect the population.”

    Zabiullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, claimed responsibility for the blast in a telephone conversation with The Associated Press.

    An AP reporter at the scene saw British soldiers collecting what appeared to be body parts from the roof of an Afghan home.

    He also reported shouting matches between the British troops and Afghan security personnel at the blast site.

    The attack against U.S. troops occurred in eastern Afghanistan, the U.S. military said in a statement. It said two were killed and three were wounded

    Those deaths brought to 26 the number of U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan this month, according to an AP count.

    U.S. military spokeswoman Capt. Elizabeth Mathias had no details of damage or casualties from the attack on the presidential compound.

    In a speech Monday in Phoenix, President Barack Obama said U.S. troops would help secure polling places so that the elections can go forward and Afghans can choose their own future.

    Obama said peace in Afghanistan “will not be quick” and “will not be easy.” He added that the United States still has a deep interest in the long-term outcome.

    “This is not only a war worth fighting. This is fundamental to the defense of our people,” Obama said.

    Associated Press reporter Amir Shah in Kabul contributed to this report.
    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200.....5ic3BzdG9y

    “This is not only a war worth fighting. This is fundamental to the defense of our people,” Obama said.

    rebuilding, farming, protecting corrupt candidates, fundamental to the defense “of our people”. I think Obama means his fellow muslims people.

  27. BillK
    August 18, 2009 at 2:56 pm

    See, we need the government to step in and take over health care, because having it in the hands of the private sector just isn’t working. Right?

    From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

    Wal-Mart adds free mail delivery to low-price drug program

    Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced Tuesday it will broaden its discounted prescription drug program via free mail delivery.

    Wal-Mart currently offers a 90-day supply of 300 generic prescriptions, each for $10. With free mail delivery, Wal-Mart said, Wisconsin residents will be able to take advantage of its affordable pharmacy program by calling 1-800-2REFILL.

    “This announcement signals Wal-Mart’s commitment to help customers save money on prescriptions regardless of whether or not they live close to a Wal-Mart pharmacy location,” the company said. The store said its free mail delivery program has no gimmicks, no memberships and no enrollment fees.

    http://www.jsonline.com/business/53566127.html

    I’m sure Mr. Obama’s plan will do much better.

  28. BillK
    August 18, 2009 at 3:00 pm

    An insight into the Union mentality.

    From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

    Mercury Marine union to vote on company proposal

    By Rick Barrett

    Contract talks fell apart Monday between Mercury Marine Inc. and its labor union, leading to a stalemate that could result in the loss of one of Fond du Lac’s largest employers.

    The outboard engine maker recently said it was considering moving its Fond du Lac operations to Stillwater, Okla., to reduce costs.

    Such a move could result in the loss of about 850 manufacturing jobs. It also could mean that Mercury would move its world headquarters, resulting in the loss of about another 1,100 jobs in Fond du Lac.

    Monday was the deadline that Mercury set for changes in its labor contract. Representatives of the company and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Lodge 1947 met for several hours on the last day of contract talks before calling it quits.

    “It’s extremely disappointing that these past two weeks of negotiations, as well as months of preparation, have not resulted in a tentative agreement,” company President Mark Schwabero said in a written statement.

    “We have been extremely open and honest with our employees and their representatives about the challenges that must be overcome if Mercury is to remain in Fond du Lac. This is not an attempt to take advantage of a struggling economy,” Schwabero said.

    Union leaders said they would take the company’s final offer to the membership for a vote on Sunday.

    The offer calls for a seven-year wage freeze, pay cuts for laid-off employees called back to work, and higher health care costs for retirees, according to the union.

    “If I wanted to retire at age 62, my pension wouldn’t even cover what I had to pay for health insurance,” said Mark Zillges, Lodge 1947 president.

    Union officials said they wanted job guarantees for their members if they accepted contract concessions.

    The company offered “assurances” that it would keep a presence in Fond du Lac but did not guarantee jobs for hourly employees, according to the union.

    “I think for spite they are going to move some jobs to Oklahoma,” Zillges said. “But I don’t think the company has the millions of dollars it would cost to do an environmental cleanup of the plant site here” in order to shut it down.

    Neither of Mercury’s plants in Fond du Lac or Stillwater are producing at full capacity now. The company says it must further reduce its operating costs to remain competitive, especially until the recession has ended.

    Mercury says it is offering a long-term contract that includes wages that are competitive for the Fond du Lac area, a benefits package similar to that of the company’s salaried employees, and operational flexibility similar to that in place at other company locations.

    “It provides for above-average wages for this area,” said company spokesman Steve Fleming, who declined to give specific wage figures.

    The union, he said, asked for wages that were in the top 98-percentile for manufacturing jobs in the region.

    “Their proposals would have increased our costs, not lowered them,” Fleming said. “Fond du Lac is our biggest, most impressive facility. But the wages and benefits currently paid here are not cost competitive” with other locations, including Stillwater. …

    http://www.jsonline.com/business/53504017.html

    So, once again, the Union would much rather see their members unemployed than help keep the jobs in the state.

  29. Liberals Demise
    August 18, 2009 at 5:58 pm

    Here we go boys and girls………. The pull on our Second Amendment Right …….
    ********************************************************************
    ********************************************************************

    H.R.45 : To provide for the implementation of a system of licensing
    for purchasers of certain firearms and for a record of sale system for
    those firearms, and for other purposes.
    Sponsor: Rep Rush, Bobby L. [IL-1] (introduced 1/6/2009) Cosponsors
    (None)
    Committees: House Judiciary
    Latest Major Action: 2/9/2009 Referred to House subcommittee. Status:
    Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland
    Security.
    It has started.
    Very Important for you to be aware of a new bill HR 45 introduced into
    the House. This is the Blair Holt Firearm Licensing & Record of Sale
    Act of 2009.
    Even gun shop owners didn’t know about this because the government is
    trying to fly it under the radar.
    To find out about this – go to any government website and type in HR
    45 or Google HR 45 Blair Holt Firearm Licensing & Record of Sales Act
    of 2009. You will get all the information.
    Basically this would make it illegal to own a firearm – any rifle with
    a clip or ANY pistol unless:
    -It is registered -You are fingerprinted -You supply a current
    Driver’s License -You supply your Social Security # -You will submit to
    a physical & mental evaluation at any time of their choosing -Each
    update – change or ownership through private or public sale must be
    reported and costs $25 – Failure to do so you automatically lose the
    right to own a firearm and are subject up to a year in jail. -There is
    a child provision clause on page 16 section 305 stating a
    child-access provision. Gun must be locked and inaccessible to any
    child under 18. -They would have the right to come in and inspect that
    you are storing your gun safely away from accessibility to children
    and fine is punishable for up to 5 yrs. in prison.
    If you think this is a joke – go to the website and take your pick of
    many options to read this. It is long and lengthy. But, more and
    more people are becoming aware of this. Pass the word along. Any
    hunters in your family pass this along.
    This is just a “termite” approach to complete confiscation of guns and
    disarming of our society to the point we have no defense – chip away
    a little here and there until the goal is accomplished before anyone
    realizes it.
    This is one to act on whether you own a gun or not.
    If you take my gun, only the criminal will have one to use against me.
    HR 45 only makes me/us less safe.
    <http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.45:
    <http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h45/show
    <http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-45
    Please.. copy and send this out to EVERYONE in the USA , whether you
    support the Right to Bear Arms or are for gun control

    ”””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””’
    This was sent to me from a Brother Marine.

    "Criminal Justice"…………….. is just that………….."Criminal Justice"

    Uh…..this is America, right?

    • canary
      August 19, 2009 at 8:22 am

      This has been on the NRA site for some time. Also, the marked ammunition act, making all ammunition be engraved with traceable lot numbers. It will cause raise the cost of a bullt from cents to dollars. The government has a date set that all unmarked ammo, must be destroyed. I think it was in Georgia that they told large ammo store, they were taking all casings to sell as scap to China (the claimed it would be melted own, yeah right. It was all over the internet and included and the NRA raised heck and stopped it. There is so much confusion, that the NRA is best site to keep up with all the changes. Eric Holden said “possible” terrorists would not be allowed to own guns. That would mean those on the Dept of Homeland Security list. anti-tax payers, anti-abortionists. Obama has it all planned out. A liberal told me a couple of day ago, the NRA just trys to scare people, that they will never take our guns away. People need to be afraid of what this administration is doing. Ron Paul started a rumor, that no soldiers would be able to own a gun, I could not find it on NRA, but we all know the Homeland Security witch, put soldiers on the list. She apologized, but never said she would remove. Obama said every soldier returning will be screened for PTSD. I don’t think it’s because he cares, I think it’s to make sure the don’t get a gun. Present military, who live off post, are being required to turn in to the military any and all weapons they own.

    • Liberals Demise
      August 19, 2009 at 9:43 am

      Steak knives, baseball bats, golf clubs and sticks with pointed ends are next.
      I’ve known about the “tagging” of gun powder in ammo but this mess going under the radar is enough to make one go berserk. It is soooooo underhanded and sneaky that it calls for drastic measures to combat this affront on the American way of life!!
      The thing that cooks my nads is the way they (politicians) just poo poo this off and treat us like little children that need to be led around by the hand at all times!
      Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr………………

    • wardmama4
      August 20, 2009 at 1:52 pm

      Rep Rush did this during the 110th Congress – as you can see he has no Co-Sponsors as it is so extreme.

      I am not that worried about this one – I am more worried what Rush or Lautenberg would attach to a bill as an Amendment – these two are the most virulent anti-gunners that there are in Congress (and that is saying a lot) – and would stoop to anything to get un-Constitutional gun ‘laws’ enacted.

      And Obama (given his IL Senate questionnaire and his Administration ‘questionnaire’ show) would not hesitate to sign such anti-Second Amendment bills.

  30. Rusty Shackleford
    August 18, 2009 at 8:52 pm

    Analysis: Liberals tired of health care compromise

    From the AP

    By CHARLES BABINGTON and RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR, Associated Press Writers Charles Babington And Ricardo Alonso-zaldivar, Associated Press Writers – 1 hr 35 mins ago

    WASHINGTON – Frustrated liberals have a question for President Barack Obama and Democratic lawmakers: Isn’t it time the other guys gave a little ground on health care? What’s the point of a bipartisan bill, they ask, if we’re making all the concessions?

    A case in point:

    Sen. Charles Grassley, a key Republican negotiator on health care, was on a winning streak as Congress recessed for August, having wrung important concessions from Democrats, including an agreement not to tax employer-provided health insurance and a limit to demands on drug companies.

    How did Grassley reciprocate? With an attack that struck Democrats as stunning and baseless. Grassley told an Iowa crowd he would not support a plan that “determines when you’re going to pull the plug on Grandma.” The remark echoed conservative activists who wrongly claim a House health care bill would require Medicare recipients to discuss their end-of-life plans with doctors.

    For liberals supporting far-reaching changes to the nation’s health care system, it was another sign that months of negotiations have been a one-way street. It’s time to move on without Republicans, they say.

    On Tuesday, liberals were fuming over Obama’s recent remarks suggesting he might also yield on the federally run insurance option he’s been promoting. Many saw it as a huge concession that could leave them with nothing more than watered-down insurance cooperatives.

    But the Senate’s second-ranking Republican, Jon Kyl of Arizona, dismissed even such co-ops as a “Trojan horse” leading to government control of health care.

    Many liberals are fed up.

    Rest of article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200.....l_analysis

    ———————-

    This is from the ” That’s really rich” department, to be sure. It’s the same world they live in where a child molester is the victim.

    What they call “negotiations” were simply, “Here’s what we’re gonna do, and you will like it. There never was any negotiation.

    And besides, some republicans seem to be awakening to the fact that the liberals would never entertain any compromises towards an conservative goals. They never have and they never will. The go for the throat each and every time. So therefore, they must be beaten down, permanently shut down and silenced as they would us.

  31. Rusty Shackleford
    August 18, 2009 at 9:06 pm

    Reuters desperately tries to keep us optimistic:

    U.S. housing starts keep recovery hopes alive

    By Lucia Mutikani Lucia Mutikani – Tue Aug 18, 5:44 pm ET

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Ground-breaking for new U.S. single-family homes rose for a fifth straight month in July and producer prices tumbled, keeping hopes for an economic recovery alive.

    The Commerce Department said on Tuesday construction starts for single-family dwellings, the worst-hit part of the housing market, rose 1.7 percent from June to an annual rate of 490,000 units — the highest since October.

    But a 13.3 percent drop in new multifamily home projects pushed overall housing starts down 1 percent last month to an annual rate of 581,000 units after two months of gains.

    “The economy is recovering, this is the turning corner. We will have positive growth this quarter, but not a lot of strength. It very much looks like a U-shaped recovery rather than V-shaped,” said Kurt Karl, head of economic research at Swiss Re in New York.

    ——–
    Oh yes, millions are reporting back to work the stimu-lost is working its magic and I’m fartin’ rainbows.

    But they get to the real meat and focus of the matter some paragraphs down:

    “While the economy appears to be stabilizing, it is far from full health and some economists think a recovery could falter in 2010, reigniting the risk of a deflation — an economically disabling, broad-based decline in consumer prices.

    A report from the Labor Department on Tuesday showed downward pressure on prices remains, allaying fears that massive programs by the government and the Federal Reserve to stimulate the economy might ignite inflation.”

    ——————————-

    So, don’t go shopping for that Ferrari yet.

    Rest of article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/200.....sa_economy

    The Census Bureau seems to paint it a little differently: http://www.census.gov/const/newresconst.pdf

    Honestly, if it wasn’t for the trusted souls in the MSM reading me bedtime stories to calm me down, I would swear the big bogeyman would come and get me in the middle of the night.

  32. canary
    August 19, 2009 at 8:40 am

    AP: Wave of Baghdad blasts kills at least 75
    By Associated Press Writer Sinan Salaheddin Aug 19 2009

    BAGHDAD – A series of explosions targeting government and commercial buildings struck Baghdad Wednesday, killing at least 75 people and wounding more than 300.

    Officials said the toll may climb as rescue workers continue to search through rubble and debris. The ministry is close to the fortified Green Zone. The officials all spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information…..mortars struck inside the Green Zone.

    Another car bomb targeted a joint Iraqi police and army patrol just outside the finance ministry, killing at least eight people and wounding 22, ..said the official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity.

    Another blast in the commercial area of western Baghdad’s Baiyaa district killed two people and wounded 16, while a bombing in the commercial district of Bab al-Muadham killed six people and wounded 24, authorities said.

    Iraqi security forces have begun removing concrete blast walls, which have been credited with helping reducing violence. The walls have been coming down in residential and commercial areas with the aim of improving appearance and easing traffic congestion.

    Gen. Ray Odierno, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said Monday that he wanted to deploy U.S. soldiers alongside Iraqi and Kurdish troops in northern Iraq where some of the worst attacks in recent weeks have been carried out.

    President Barack Obama has ordered all U.S. combat troops out of Iraq by Aug. 31, 2010, leaving a contingency of up to 50,000 U.S. troops in training and advising roles.

    Odierno said Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has been receptive to the idea, though has not approved it.

    Associated Press writers Hamid Ahmed, Sameer N. Yacoub and Chelsea J. Carter contributed to this report.
    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200.....ea/ml_iraq

    I saw photos of the walls they idiots were tearing down. They served as bad memories and made it look ugly. I can not believe our soldiers built such an amazing thick wall, to protect these ignorant people, and inspite of the increases (all secret) they are continuing. ‘

    And what’s this Obama bringing all troops home, but leaving 50,000. They are in more danger. The damn wall our troops wasted building those walls, could have been built on the Mexian/American border. Obama hates the military, just like his mother. He is making soldiers who volunteered regret. He is a Pinky in disguise. Obama is a wicked beast who will have blood stains on this hands that will never wash out.

  33. canary
    August 19, 2009 at 8:48 am

    In Border States, BATFE Asks: “May We See Your Guns?” 6/19/09

    NRA-ILA has recently received several calls from NRA members in border states who have been visited or called by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. In some cases, agents have asked to enter these people’s homes, and requested serial numbers of all firearms the members possess.

    In each case, the agents were making inquiries based on the number of firearms these NRA members had recently bought,

    This kind of questioning may or may not be part of a legitimate criminal investigation. … But in other cases, the questioning may simply be based on … with agents trying to “profile” potentially suspicious purchases.

    On the other hand, some of the agents have used heavy-handed tactics.

    One reportedly demanded that a gun owner return home early from a business trip, while another threatened to “report” an NRA member as “refusing to cooperate.” That kind of behavior is outrageous and unprofessional.

    Whether agents act appropriately or not, concerned gun owners should remember that all constitutional protections apply. Answering questions in this type of investigation is generally an individual choice. ..

    enforcement officials need a warrant to enter a home without the residents’ consent. There is nothing wrong with politely, but firmly, asserting your rights.

    If BATFE contacts you and you have any question about how to respond, you may want to consult a local attorney. NRA members may also call NRA-ILA’s Office of Legislative Counsel at (703) 267-1161 for further information. Whether contacting a local attorney or NRA,…

    http://www.nraila.org/Legislat.....px?id=4990
    http://www.nraila.org/

  34. canary
    August 19, 2009 at 9:05 am

    Central Do Gun Turn-In Programs Prevent Shootings? Mayor Daley Announces Gun-Buying Program Will Be Held This Weekend
    Aug 13 2009 Reporting Mike Flannery CHICAGO (CBS)

    Mayor Daley announced a gun turn-in program to be held this weekend in exchange for money.

    While a teen struggles to survive a shooting, the city tries to get guns off the streets. But do gun turn-in programs really work? Taccara Swain, 15, was shot in the head three times Wednesday night.
    Police say she is an innocent victim who was trying to shield a young relative from the bullets.

    gun turn-in program this weekend. But are events like that effective? CBS 2 Political Editor Mike Flannery reports that the continuing carnage in our streets suggests otherwise.

    That 15-year old was reportedly caught in gang crossfire. As long as gangs control hundreds of millions of dollars by selling illegal narcotics here, they’ll always be able to buy big firepower.

    Illinois Gun Works Owner Don Mastrianni claims that Chicago’s program to clear its street of guns by offering to buy them and melt them down has probably not prevented even one killing.

    “Criminals aren’t going to bring in their guns,” Mastrianni said.

    When asked if any murders have been prevented, Mastrianni said, “No. Not at all. Not in the least.”

    Mayor Daley … those who turn in weapons will receive debit cards worth up to $100 in exchange for an assault-type weapon.

    “Now think of that. Here’s the mayor of the city of Chicago asking people to turn in assault weapons,” Mayor Daley said. “We’re not in Iraq. We’re not in Afghanistan. We’re in America. We’re asking ‘em to turn in assault weapons. What do we need an assault weapon in America for?”

    When asked if gun control would keep guns away, Officer David Montgomery said, “No, ’cause the underground market. You can always get the guns. There’s the underground market out there. What can you do about it?”

    One thing not worth doing, according to Mastrianni, is buying old weapons off the street.

    “They’re not really solving any crimes, and they’re not really preventing anything.

    …Daley’s…bragged today that, since 2005, the city’s gun-buying program has led to the destruction of more than 18,000 guns. Still, that’s small comfort to the thousands of Chicagoans who continue to get shot each year.
    http://cbs2chicago.com/topstor.....27786.html
    Illinoise the only state that refuses to release violence statistics. Daly is melting down the guns? no way. Probably going to China.

  35. canary
    August 19, 2009 at 9:19 am

    Glen Beck’s truthful comment that Obama is racist against white causing sponsers to drop

    Advertisers remaining on the show — and thus on the boycott hit list — are: Honda, General Electric, Farmers Insurance, Office Depot, Nestlé (Gerber), Red Lobster, the U.S. Postal Service, and Wyeth.

    Prayers be with Glen, and ten-fold increase for his being righteous.

  36. canary
    August 19, 2009 at 12:53 pm

    By REUTERS Tuesday, August 18, 2009 Buzz up!

    ALGIERS — Al-Qaida’s North African wing has begun targeting areas outside its stronghold east of the Algerian capital

    But a spate of attacks since June by militants operating under the banner of al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) have targeted areas previously considered relatively safe.

    the militants’ ranks have been thinned by a policy of granting amnesties to fighters who lay down their weapons.

    But AQIM remains a potent threat. The spate of attacks outside the group’s stronghold included an ambush on a major highway near Bordj Bou Arreridj,

    A month later, the group killed at least 14 soldiers in the province of Tipaza, west of Algiers…reports put the death toll substantially higher.

    said Henry Wilkinson of Janusian, a security consultant. “An enemy displaced by security forces will try to strike back where the security forces are weaker.”

    the audacity in which they were carried out, certainly grabbed attention. The ambush in Tipaza brought the violence to a peaceful region to which residents of Algiers flock at weekends to use the beaches.

    http://www.pittsburghlive.com/.....38738.html

  37. canary
    August 19, 2009 at 1:08 pm

    AP US troops killed in southern Afghanistan Aug 19 2009

    KABUL – The U.S. military says three American troops have been killed in two incidents in southern Afghanistan.

    The deaths bring to six the number of U.S. deaths announced by the military on Wednesday. That pushes to at least 32 the number of dead American troops in August.

    The statement says two of those killed Wednesday in southern Afghanistan died after a gunfire attack on their patrol. Another died in a “hostile attack.”

    KABUL (AP) — a wave of attacks killed at least six election workers

    A roadside bomb in the south, meanwhile, killed two U.S. troops Tuesday,

    Afghanistan’s chief electoral officer said that 20 percent of election materials hadn’t yet been delivered to voting sites

    Insurgents unleashed attacks around the country on poll workers, killing at least six.

    In a region generally considered safe, four election workers were killed Tuesday …Najafi said they were delivering materials to a polling station.

    Another two election workers were killed in Shorabak

    A remote-controlled roadside bomb exploded early Wednesday near a vehicle taking voting supplies to a poll in the Chaparhar district of the eastern province of Nangarhar,

    The Interior Ministry says about a third of Afghanistan is at high-risk of militant attack, and that no polling stations will open in eight Afghan districts under control of militants.

    The three armed men took over a branch of the Pashtani bank

    Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said 20 armed suicide attackers wearing explosive vests had entered Kabul and that five of them battled police.

    U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton… insurgent violence in Afghanistan reflected a deliberate campaign to intimidate voters.

    *…the Foreign Ministry issued a statement Tuesday demanding that news organizations to avoid “broadcasting any incidence of violence”..*

    In other violence, a roadside bomb killed a district government leader and a tribal elder early Wednesday in the Registan district

    Another roadside bomb in Tirin Kot, in Uruzgan province, killed three policemen, said Ali Jan, a provincial police official.

    Associated Press reporters Fisnik Abrashi and Rahim Faiez in Kabul and Noor Khan in Kandahar contributed to this report.

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200.....fghanistan

  38. canary
    August 19, 2009 at 1:14 pm

    AP: Syrian militant escapes Lebanese prison Aug 18 2009
    http://www.bostonherald.com | Middle East
    BEIRUT — Eight members of an al-Qaida-inspired group sawed bars off their cell windows in a high-security Lebanese prison Tuesday, scaled down the building using blankets tied together, then stood on each other’s shoulders to help one jump over a wall and escape, security officials said.

    Prison guards scrambled and stopped seven from fleeing, but one escaped, the officials said.

    The officials described the escaped prisoner, Taha al-Hajj Suleiman, as a “dangerous” member of the Fatah Islam group, which fought a three-month battle against the army inside a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon in 2007.

    Suleiman’s escape from the high-security Roumieh prison

    But later in the day, Interior Minister Ziad Baroud visited the prison and ordered the suspension of several police officers

    He also ordered all officers on duty in Lebanon’s prisons to be transferred to other departments

    A third prisoner among the group attempting to escape broke his back when his blanket line got untied and he fell from a height of about five yards (meters). The officials said he was being hospitalized.
    http://www.bostonherald.com/ne.....id=1191890

    http://www.bostonherald.com/ne.....p;srvc=rss

  39. BillK
    August 19, 2009 at 3:09 pm

    From Fox News:

    Hillary Clinton on Sidelines as Diplomacy With Rogue Nations Evolves

    In the last few weeks, a former president traveled to North Korea to negotiate the release of two imprisoned Americans; a U.S. senator flew to Burma to bargain for the release of yet another American; and envoys of the reclusive North Korean regime have come to the U.S. for talks with America’s former ambassador to the United Nations.

    And throughout all of it, one question grows: Where is America’s top diplomat, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton?

    The missions by former President Bill Clinton and Virginia Sen. Jim Webb to secure the release of Americans held in North Korea and Burma detoured sharply around Clinton’s State Department.

    And two diplomats from North Korea were meeting privately Wednesday with New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson — a Clinton family pariah whose decision to back Barack Obama in last year’s presidential campaign earned him a barbed comparison to Judas.

    These developments certainly have not curbed the narrative that Clinton has been marginalized in the Obama administration.

    “She has been the most low-key secretary in recent times,” said Nile Gardiner, director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at the conservative Heritage Foundation. “There does appear to be two different tracks of U.S. diplomacy at this time: One headed by Hillary Clinton and another headed by an array of different figures….

    “What we have is an immensely confusing patchwork of foreign policy initiatives without any real central coherence.”

    This “mercenary-style approach,” Gardiner said, enables U.S. adversaries to adopt a “divide-and-rule strategy” with the Obama administration.

    Observers have noted that Clinton has a particularly contentious relationship — or non-relationship — with officials from North Korea, which could pose a barrier to both sides in future negotiations.

    In a bizarre name-calling exchange last month during Clinton’s trip to Asia, she compared the North Koreans to “unruly children” demanding attention, and Pyongyang’s foreign ministry retaliated by calling her a “funny lady” who sometimes “looks like a primary schoolgirl and sometimes a pensioner going shopping.” The ministry was quoted as calling her remarks “vulgar” and saying “she is by no means intelligent.” The State Department returned fire with another tapestry of put-downs.

    So perhaps it came as no surprise when Kim Jong Il summoned not the secretary of state, but her husband — more of a rock star, less of a prickly pear — in exchange for the release of two jailed American journalists.

    But the global fanfare surrounding the mission and its successful conclusion appeared to get under the secretary’s skin, though the Obama administration was still involved in the North Korean operation.

    In a flash-in-the-pan moment that came to overshadow pretty much all positive aspects of her lengthy tour through Africa, Clinton snapped at a university student in the Congo who asked her what her husband thought about a multibillion-dollar Chinese loan offer.

    “Wait, you want to know what my husband thinks?” she responded. “My husband is not the secretary of state. … I am not going to be channeling my husband.” …

    http://www.foxnews.com/politic.....s-evolves/

    Indeed, the highest profile foreign affairs accomplishments of late have had nothing to do with Hillary.

    Could you imagine the press coverage if people had regularly been “going around” Condoleezza Rice?

    • Rusty Shackleford
      August 19, 2009 at 8:18 pm

      In her defense, I’ll bet she didnt’ expect to be so effectively shoved aside to meet the magic negro’s objectives. I’ll bet after he got the nomination, in return for her support, he shmoozed her with that BS rhetoric he’s so good at and ….the really funny part, in fact — hysterical, is that she bought it.

      So he sends her on the 107 nation world tour, bopping around, living out of a suitcase, eating whatever the caterers can dig up and wouldn’t you know it? She has proven to be a mere air freshener hanging from the rearview mirror of Blammo’s political vehicle.

      However, he’d better watch it because if he thinks his “Chicago Boys” can take care of her, he’s truly not walking with his reality shoes on. He’s naively unaware that she makes people “go away”. And I’ll bet she’s cooking up a plan, or has been for some time. Not to necessarily hurt him physically…no….but…in the past couple of weeks, I’ve been wondering if there’s a back story to this “blue-dog-democrat” activity that is springing up and how many of them were/are Hitlery supporters from the git-go. Might be worth checking out but I haven’t the resources to do so.

      How many of the blue-dogs contributed heavily to the Clinton campaign and are now turning against the “Obama-give-me-life” utopian dream.

      Hmmmmm.

  40. BannedbytheTaliban
    August 19, 2009 at 4:00 pm

    How many here didn’t see this coming?

    From an approving MSNBC, penned by the always progressive Washington Post:

    Whole Foods fans decry CEO’s health care views
    Liberal customer base goes ballistic as executive pens conservative column

    By Ylan Q. Mui

    updated 2:33 a.m. ET, Wed., Aug 19, 2009
    Whole Foods aficionados who assumed the company’s management was as crunchy as the brand are feeling betrayed.

    They have stormed Twitter, Facebook and the blogosphere to vent their rage at John Mackey, the chief executive. In an op-ed column in the Wall Street Journal last week, he argued for health-care savings accounts and declared that health care is not an intrinsic right– ideas with a conservative bent, which made Whole Foods’ liberal customer base go ballistic.

    They are even talking about a boycott. And who knows? Maybe some will have to rethink shopping at Wal-Mart.

    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32.....gton_post/

    Sounds about right. Boycott a store that caters to you to shop at one that you are even more ideologically opposed. Only in the mind of liberals does lunacy make sense. They all fell down the rabbit hole a long time ago.

  41. BillK
    August 19, 2009 at 5:14 pm

    Planned Parenthood worries their only South Dakota slaughterhouse clinic may be forced to close because they refuse to comply with South Dakota law.

    From an incredulous Associated Press:

    Planned Parenthood worries SD clinic may shut down

    By Carson Walker

    SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Planned Parenthood is raising red flags that the state could close the only abortion clinic in South Dakota in a matter of days, according to the latest filing in a court battle over a 2005 law that requires doctors to tell women an abortion ends a human life.

    The clinic in Sioux Falls could lose its license if it doesn’t conform with the law. State attorneys say there’s no immediate plans to close the facility and even if South Dakota decides to shut it down, that administrative process likely would take weeks.

    The health department on Aug. 7 sent Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota a letter giving it 15 days to spell out how it will fix the wording of the disclosure form used at its South Dakota clinic to conform with the 2005 law. Saturday marks the 15th day.

    Planned Parenthood is challenging the law and disagrees with the state over the wording required.

    The clinic is still operating and last week its attorneys asked for a restraining order to prevent the health department from suspending or revoking its license. In a filing late Tuesday, the organization reiterated its request for the restraining order and said the state still could close the facility.

    “Nothing in the state’s opposition refutes that in less than a week’s time the state may proceed with an administrative action seeking revocation or suspension of Planned Parenthood’s abortion facility license for alleged failure to comply with the act,” the attorneys wrote.

    “This constitutes irreparable harm warranting an emergency injunction,” lawyers said. …

    http://www.startribune.com/loc.....cUiacyKUUr

    So in summary, Planned Parenthood refuses to tell patients that abortion ends a human life.

    So much for full disclosure and making fully informed medical decisions…

  42. canary
    August 20, 2009 at 2:17 am

    AP: Ex-ACORN Vegas director to testify against group
    By Associated Press Writer Oskar Garcia Wed Aug 19,

    LAS VEGAS – A former Las Vegas director for a political advocacy group accused of illegally paying canvassers to register voters during last year’s presidential campaign has pleaded guilty to a reduced charge and agreed to testify against the group and another employee….

    ACORN, and Amy Busefink, a former regional voter registration director.

    The case threatens the group’s ability to operate in Nevada, with the possibility that the group could have its status as a nonprofit corporation revoked, said Conrad Hafen, chief deputy attorney general for Nevada.

    ACORN spokesman Brian Kettenring called the plea deal a “desperate attempt to get publicity and grab headlines.”

    “The prosecution is clearly willing to cut a deal with an admitted criminal,” Kettenring said. “Shame on them.”

    Prosecutors said in court documents that Edwards, Busefink and ACORN created a bonus incentive program that paid canvassers an extra $5 per shift if they turned in at least 21 voter registration cards at the end of the day. Prosecutors said violates state laws ….

    In October, the secretary of state’s office raided an ACORN office in Las Vegas after complaints surfaced that the group was turning in bogus voter registration forms. Secretary of State Ross Miller said at the time that some of the registrations included forms for football stars Tony Romo, Terrell Owens and the Dallas Cowboys starting lineup.

    ACORN officials at the time said they separated and identified registrations that they thought were fraudulent when they turned them into the Clark County registrar. The group said the law prevented them from withholding registrations they thought were fake.
    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200.....raud_probe

  43. BillK
    August 20, 2009 at 2:29 am

    The Chicago way.

    From Fox News:

    Consulting Firm Tied to White House Given Millions for Health Care Ad Campaign

    A media consulting firm with ties to White House senior strategist David Axelrod has been hired to produce a multi-million dollar ad campaign touting the Obama administration’s health care overhaul.

    But while lobbying analysts say the move is logical, some Republicans are questioning whether Axelrod stands to gain from the profits.

    AKPD Message and Media, founded by Axelrod, along with firm GMMB, were paid $12 million by Health Economy Now and Americans for Stable Quality Care, a coalition that includes Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America, or PhRMA, to produce ads promoting President Obama’s health care reform.

    The firms received over $300 million to manage ads for Obama’s presidential campaign.

    “GMMB and AKPD are among the best in the business so it was a no-brainer to hire them to help this new effort to explain what health care reform means for Americans,” Americans for Stable Quality Care spokesman Phil Singer told FOXNews.com on Wednesday.

    Obama announced an agreement with PhRMA on June 22 to achieve $80 billion in savings as part of his reform agenda. On August 8, a coalition of interest groups including PhRMA pledged to spend $150 million to help Obama’s overhaul health care this fall.

    Axelrod left the firm on Dec. 31, 2008, with the agreement that it owed him $2 million — and some Republican critics now question whether the firm was hired to indirectly fund his severance package.

    The House Republican Conference issued a one-page memo Tuesday, questioning the sincerity of the administration’s calls for change and transparency. “As the pharmaceutical industry spends hundreds of millions supporting a government takeover of health care, some may wonder whether White House senior advisors earning millions of dollars paid for in part by the pharmaceutical industry represents the kind of change American can believe in?”

    Axelrod, a veteran journalist and former columnist with the Chicago Tribune, founded AKPD Message and Media in 1984 following his work managing Paul Simon’s victorious U.S. Senate campaign.

    The firm, formerly known as Axelrod and Associates, provides consulting and advertising for Democratic candidates and causes. Axelrod’s son, Michael, joined AKPD in 2006 as the firm’s research director. AKPD also employed Obama’s presidential campaign manager David Plouffe as a partner beginning in 2003.

    Despite questions about the propriety of using Axerod’ firm while Axelrod promotes the president’s plan, negotiated with the coalition, PhRMA Senior Vice President Ken Johnson said that “the dots just don’t connect.”

    Johnson, who said he did not know the two firms had been hired until a news reporter told him, said the decision to employ them was made by the “campaign teams” for Health Economy Now and Americans for Stable Quality Care — not by PhRMA or the White House. He said it was a logical move to employ the same firms that launched Obama’s presidential campaign to victory. …

    http://www.foxnews.com/politic.....-campaign/

    Yeah… right.

  44. BillK
    August 20, 2009 at 2:43 am

    From Fox News:

    Obama Merchandise a Big Seller at NBC Store

    Can you celebrate the Obama presidency at NBC?

    Yes you can.

    If you’re a fan of all things Obama, NBC Universal’s online store has no fewer than 29 options for your buying pleasure — from a shirt with the president’s picture proclaiming “YES WE DID”…to both of his books…to a special inauguration DVD…to a refrigerator magnet of the first couple.

    And don’t forget the Barack Obama Action Figure — yours for $15, plus tax.

    You can buy them online — or at NBC Universal’s retail store in New York.

    Some analysts say it’s good business, that NBC is simply offering what people want to buy. They point out that the adult version of the “YES WE DID” shirt ($25) was so popular, it sold out on the Web site.

    But others note that there is no merchandise available that shows support for the other side of the political aisle. And they question whether the political bent of the items on sale are healthy for a corporation that operates an impartial news outlet.

    Some of NBC’s item descriptions would seem to support that notion: “Bring reform to your refrigerator. Or at least keep company with the President while you’re at work, with the Barack Obama Magnet,” one item description reads.

    “From Yes We Can to Yes We Did! Celebrate Barack Obama’s historic victory with the new ‘Yes We Did’ Unisex T-Shirt,” reads another.

    But if your favorite color in the red, white and blue just happens to be red, you’re out of luck.

    There are no t-shirts or refrigerator magnets for George and Laura Bush, and NBC did not say whether it ever sold Bush items after his victory in 2000.

    The CBS and ABC online stores sell books about the president, but no merchandise. Fox and CNN do not sell books or gear.

    Some journalism ethics scholars said NBC Universal’s focus on Obama merchandise was unseemly for a media outlet.

    “The NBC Universal Store stands out for the amount of pro-Obama trinkets and gadgets and promotional material it sells. Its nearest competitor is CBS, which has a dozen items…books and the 60 Minutes interview with Obama,” DePaul University journalism professor Bruce Evensen said.

    “The [NBC] site seems like a campaign stop for those following their messiah…The appearance that NBC isn’t reporting the news with fairness, balance and impartiality — but is instead cheerleading — is apparent,” he said.

    But others said the sale of Obama items appeared to be nothing more than a smart business decision.

    “I think it indicates that NBC thinks it can make money from selling Obama items but not from McCain or Bush items,” said Eric Alterman, author of the book, “What Liberal Media?” and an English and journalism professor at Brooklyn College in New York. …

    http://www.foxnews.com/politic.....nbc-store/

    No bias at all.

    The author of a book saying there’s no such thing as “liberal media” even says so.

  45. canary
    August 20, 2009 at 3:08 am

    AP; Ex-Syrian soldier pleads innocent to arms dealing Aug 19 2009

    NEW YORK – A former member of the Syrian military has pleaded innocent to conspiring to sell military-grade weapons to a U.S.-designated terrorist group in Colombia.

    Jamal Yousef appeared in federal court in Manhattan on Wednesday after he was brought to the United States earlier in the day.

    Prosecutors say Yousef was an international arms trafficker who agreed to sell weapons to the Colombian terrorist group FARC in exchange for 1 ton of cocaine.

    His court-appointed lawyer, Phil Weinstein, said Yousef has been in custody in Honduras for the past three years.

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200.....ler_charge

  46. canary
    August 20, 2009 at 3:18 am

    Mom of Bristol Palin’s former fiance pleads guilty
    By MARY PEMBERTON, Associated Press Writer Mary Pemberton, Associated Press Writer
    Wed Aug 19, 7:03 pm ET

    PALMER, Alaska – The mother of the man former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s daughter Bristol had planned on marrying has reached a plea deal in her drug case.

    Sherry Johnston pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of possession with intent to deliver the painkiller OxyContin. Five other felony counts were dropped.

    “That’s pretty,” Johnston said as a court officer placed pink handcuffs — a gift from an Arizona sheriff — around her wrists. Court officers can use their own handcuffs, and the pink ones are a trademark of Sheriff Joe Arpaio in Phoenix’s Maricopa County, along with the pink boxer shorts he issues to jail inmates.

    Levi Johnston didn’t attend his mother’s hearing but his younger sister, Mercede, did.

    Sherry Johnston has two pain pumps implanted in her body to deliver medication because she suffers a rare condition involving scurvy and chronic pelvic pain from prior medical surgeries,

    The case against Johnston began last September when investigators intercepted a package containing 179 OxyContin pills. The suspects who were arrested agreed to become informants.

    Police said Johnston set up a meeting with one of the informants, who bought 10 pills of 80-milligram OxyContin using $800 provided by investigators. A second purchase was made the following day, and a third purchase in November was videotaped by police, authorities said.

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200.....ton_arrest

  47. canary
    August 20, 2009 at 3:22 am

    Florida man pleads guilty to threat to kill Obama Aug 19 2009

    MIAMI (Reuters) – A Florida man pleaded guilty on Wednesday to threatening to kill President Barack Obama in an e-mail that said “the blood of Obama will run down the streets” of the U.S. capital, a federal prosecutor said.

    Nathan Wine, 21, admitted to a judge in Tampa he sent the threatening e-mail to the U.S. Army Recruiting Command on November 5, 2008, the day after Obama won the U.S. presidential election, U.S. Attorney A. Brian Albritton said in a statement.

    Wine said in the poorly spelled note he would “not mind going behind bars for being a trigger man on this tyrent.”

    “I will not rest until this tyrant of america is gunned down,” the note said. “The blood of Obama will run down the streets of D.C.”

    (Reporting by Jane Sutton; Editing by John O’Callaghan)
    http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/200.....ama_threat

  48. canary
    August 20, 2009 at 3:56 am

    The face of Abbas Kargar Javid — man accused of killing Neda Soltan
    New York Times by Martin Fletcher Aug 20 2009

    The man accused of killing Neda Soltan has been identified as Abbas Kargar Javid, a pro-government militiaman, after photographs of the Basiji’s ID cards appeared on the internet.

    The identification challenges the Iranian regime’s claim that foreign agents shot the young woman, who became a global symbol

    One picture appears on Mr Javid’s Basij identification card, which was taken off him by the crowd that stopped him briefly when he fled the murder scene during a massive demonstration against electoral fraud on June 20.

    The regime has put blame for Ms Soltan’s murder on fellow demonstrators, the CIA, hostile foreign governments including Britain, and even the BBC, whose Tehran correspondent, Jon Leyne, was accused of organising the shooting to get good pictures.

    Dr Hejazi, a student at Oxford Brookes University, had returned to Iran for a business trip after the June 12 election but he fled after featuring prominently in the video of Ms Soltan’s last moments.

    In an interview with The Times after reaching Britain, Dr Hejazi told how Ms Soltan was shot by a basij on a motorbike.

    Dr Hejazi said….” All agreed that there was no point in handing him over to the police, so they took his identification cards and let him go.

    Brigadier-General Esmail Ahmadi- Moqaddam, the police chief of Iran, has since accused Dr Hejazi of conspiring with the Islamic Republic’s foreign enemies. He faces certain prosecution if he returns home.

    http://www.timesonline.co.uk/t.....802669.ece

  49. canary
    August 20, 2009 at 4:11 am

    AP: Turnout appears low as Afghans vote for president Aug 20 2009
    By Associated Press Writers Jason Straziuso And Robert H. Reid,

    KABUL – Taliban threats kept voter turnout low in the capital and the militant south Thursday as Afghans chose the next president for their deeply troubled country. Militants launched scattered rocket and bomb attacks, violence that closed some polling sites.

    Low turnout in the south would harm President Hamid Karzai’s re-election chances and boost the standing of his top challenger, former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah. Turnout in the north appeared to be high, a good sign for Abdullah.

    International officials have predicted an imperfect election — Afghanistan’s second-ever direct presidential vote — but expressed hope that Afghans would accept it as legitimate, a key component of President Barack Obama’s war strategy. Taliban militants, though, pledged to disrupt the vote and circulated threats that those who cast ballots will be punished, which appeared to dampen turnout.

    Scattered reports of violence trickled in from around the country.

    Kabul police exchanged fire for more than an hour with a group of armed men, including a suicide bomber who blew himself up.

    The top U.N. official in the country, Kai Eide, acknowledged scattered attacks but said the election “seems to be working well.”

    “This is not an election, this is a comedy,” Bashardost said.

    The Foreign Ministry asked news organizations to avoid “broadcasting any incidence of violence” during voting hours “to ensure the wide participation of the Afghan people.” Because of that order, Afghan officials were reluctant to confirm violence reports.

    Associated Press reporters Amir Shah, Fisnik Abrashi, Heidi Vogt and Rahim Faiez in Kabul and Noor Khan in Kandahar contributed to this report.

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200.....5ic3BzdG9y

  50. canary
    August 20, 2009 at 5:11 am

    AP: Jokes about barbecuing a cat preceded midair crash
    By Associated Press Writer Joan Lowy Aug 20 2009

    WASHINGTON – Two minutes after he cleared a private plane for takeoff and a fateful flight over the Hudson River, an air traffic controller at New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport was on the phone with a woman in the airport operations office, joking about barbecuing a dead cat.

    According to a draft government transcript obtained by The Associated Press, the two continued to banter until seconds before the private plane collided with a tour helicopter over the Hudson…..

    Shortly after that the controller explained to the woman on the phone that the Piper pilot probably had the wrong radio frequency.

    Eight seconds later, the controller said, “Damn. … Let me straighten stuff out,” and ended the call.

    The agency said the controller’s actions were inappropriate and unacceptable, but didn’t appear to have contributed to the accident.

    A spokesman for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association said Wednesday the nature of the phone conversation wasn’t relevant to the accident investigation.

    for entire transcript
    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200....._collision

  51. caligirl9
    August 20, 2009 at 8:59 pm

    Well of course it’s time to alter the law, ‘cause St. Ted says so! Note this has been tried before, as recently as 2004. From the NY Slimes Times.

    Kennedy Asks to Alter Laws on His Successor

    Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, terminally ill with brain cancer, has asked state legislative leaders to change the law and let Gov. Deval Patrick appoint a temporary replacement upon the senator’s death.

    Under current law, the seat would be vacant until a special election could be held 145 to 160 days later. But Senator Kennedy, a 77-year-old Democrat, wrote in a letter to the governor that he wanted Massachusetts to have full representation in the Senate during that period.

    Although he did not mention the issue in the letter, it is becoming increasingly clear that Democratic votes will be crucial to passing the health care legislation that is the subject of intense Congressional debate…

    Up until 2004, state law called for the governor to appoint a temporary replacement for a Senate seat that became vacant. But in that year, when Senator John Kerry, a Democrat, was running for president, the Democratic-controlled Legislature wanted to deny the governor at the time — Mitt Romney, a Republican — the power to name a replacement if Mr. Kerry won the presidency…

    http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08.....dy.html?hp

    Write and re-write the “laws” to benefit whomever wants to stay in power, eh? As long as, of course, it’s a Dem/lib.

    On the same subject, The Wall Street Journal noted:

    … What Mr. Kennedy doesn’t volunteer is that he orchestrated the 2004 succession law revision that now requires a special election, and for similarly partisan reasons.

    http://online.wsj.com/article/.....lenews_wsj

    and the LA Times observed:

    …Kennedy actually benefited from the former Massachusetts law. After his brother John won the presidency in 1960, a Kennedy family friend was appointed to keep the seat open until Edward Kennedy was old enough to run in a special election in 1962. He has served in the Senate ever since.

    http://www.latimes.com/news/na.....8980.story

  52. BillK
    August 21, 2009 at 2:17 am

    Judicial activism at its best:

    OK judge tosses abortion law requiring ultrasound

    By Sean Murphy

    OKLAHOMA CITY— An Oklahoma judge on Tuesday overturned a state law that required women seeking an abortion to receive an ultrasound and a doctor’s description of the fetus.

    Oklahoma County District Judge Vicki Robertson said the law violated constitutional requirements that legislative measures deal only with one subject. He did not rule on the validity of the ultrasound provisions.

    Special Assistant Attorney General Teresa Collett said she will meet with state officials to discuss whether to appeal. The law was passed in 2008, but legal action has prevented it from going into effect.

    Nova Health Systems, the parent group of Reproductive Services in Tulsa, filed a lawsuit in October, arguing that the law was unconstitutionally vague and it was not clear what the doctor should tell women undergoing the ultrasound.

    Stephanie Toti, an attorney for the New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights that represented Nova, said Oklahoma is the only state in the nation that mandated a physician to both conduct an ultrasound and describe the images to the patient.

    “The ultrasound provision takes away a patient’s choice about whether or not to view an ultrasound, and it requires physicians to provide information to their patients that the physicians do not believe is medically necessary,” Toti said.

    “It’s an affront to women’s autonomy and decision-making power, and it’s also an intrusion to the physician-patient relationship.” …

    http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_13151908

    Or, “It’s an affront to women’s autonomy” to be shown the baby they’re killing and the fact that it’s alive.

  53. BillK
    August 21, 2009 at 2:23 am

    The Madison, WI Police are sick of dealing with crime.

    From the ultra-far left Madison, WI Capital Times:

    Woodman’s accounts for 70 percent of all retail theft calls at large grocery stores

    By Steven Elbow

    Madison police officers have become a regular fixture at the city’s two Woodman’s stores, and they’re not happy about it.

    The giant grocery retailer accounted for about 70 percent of the city’s retail theft calls at large grocery stores in 2007, and that trend continued in 2008, eating up police time that could be better spent, police say.

    “Are our resources better used for something like this, or can we adjust our response so we can get those officers to address speeding complaints, quality of life-type issues and more violent crime — issues that our citizens really want us to focus on?” asks Madison Police Lt. Carl Strasburg.

    It’s not clear why Woodman’s dominates the calls for retail theft, though a longtime employee perk could provide some answers. The Janesville-based company rewards employees with $35 if they catch a shoplifter, and the incentive appears to be working. One employee, interviewed outside the east side store, says that shoplifters are caught at a rate of “probably at least one every day.” But Clint Woodman, vice president of Woodman’s, says his stores have more shoplifting incidents because they have more customers.

    Strasburg says that last year, police responded to about 600 shoplifting calls citywide for merchandise worth less than $20 — including such items as drinks, condoms and meat. That’s about 30 percent of all retail theft cases. Strasburg estimates that those 600 calls burned about 840 hours of police officer time, or 105 full eight-hour shifts.

    “That gets to the crux of why we’re taking a look at this — to see if there’s a better way to do retail theft responses,” he says.

    Woodman’s isn’t the only grocery store chain that has been generating police calls for retail theft. Strasburg says police have also contacted Roundy’s Supermarkets Inc., owner of Pick ‘n Save and Copps, about cutting back police response to petty thefts at their stores. “They thought they could work with it,” he says. But Woodman’s, he says, has “some concerns.”

    Strasburg says the department is considering all options, including getting stores to add security staff, posting warnings on frequently stolen merchandise and not displaying merchandise in areas customers pass through after they’ve paid. He didn’t want to go into more detail until police firmed up their proposals.

    Woodman says police have proposed setting a benchmark value of stolen merchandise — say, $50 or $75 — that would trigger a police response. “We don’t think that them raising it to $75 or $50, or whatever it is, is good for Madison,” he says.

    Woodman says the two Madison stores already let police off the hook for shoplifted merchandise worth less than $10, which the store handles through the police department’s self-reporting system, even though he says the system is ineffective.

    “If (police) don’t respond to it, there’s no attention paid to that particular shoplifter,” he says. “It never gets followed through if you just self-report.”

    Strasburg points out that the Dane County District Attorney’s Office has already made changes to its policy regarding retail theft. The office now only prosecutes thefts from chain grocery stores for merchandise valued at $200 or more. …

    http://www.madison.com/tct/news/stories/462549

    Isn’t that great?

    Dane County has just let people know that you can shoplift all you want from grocery stores, as long as you keep it under $200 at a time.

  54. BillK
    August 21, 2009 at 2:27 am

    On a related note, from the Denver Post:

    2 fired from Broomfield Best Buy for tackling shoplifter

    By Howard Pankratz

    Two employees at the Best Buy store at FlatIron Crossing in Broomfield have been fired for the way they tried to stop a knife-wielding shoplifter who stole two cellphones at the store on Aug. 1.

    “I reacted on instinct,” said 20-year-old Jared Bergstreser, who was sitting at the “asset protection desk” near the front door.

    “I tackled him (outside the store), and we ended up on the cement,” said Bergstreser, who is studying to be a paramedic at Front Range Community College.

    Bergstreser and employee Colin Trapp, 23, who came to his aid, were both fired Sunday.

    Bergstreser said his firing was decided by corporate officials, not the local store, because he didn’t follow company policy in his pursuit of the shoplifter.

    “They don’t want us to get hurt,” said Bergstreser. “I definitely went against company policy. I don’t disagree with it (the firing). I put people in danger, and I put myself in danger.”

    A Best Buy spokeswoman couldn’t comment on the specific case but said it was company policy is not to pursue shoplifters out of the store.

    Bergstreser, who said he has witnessed more than 20 shoplifting incidents during his nearly three years at the store, said that as he was on the ground with the shoplifter, the situation rapidly deteriorated.

    A male accomplice of the shoplifter, who apparently had been waiting outside in a car, began approaching, and the suspected shoplifter produced a knife and started “throwing it around.”

    Bergstreser said he jumped back, as did Trapp, who had rushed to Bergstreser’s assistance.

    The knife-brandishing shoplifter cut the hand of a female Best Buy manager who attempted to recover the cellphones.

    Her wound, said Bergstreser, bled profusely. An ambulance was called to treat her and Bergstreser, who had a bad case of road rash on one arm.

    The 5-foot-6, 170-pound Bergstreser, who played football at Standley Lake High School in Westminster, said the shoplifter was about 5-foot-11 and weighed about 180 pounds.

    As they struggled, he said the shoplifter “was yelling to his two friends — a woman in the car and the guy walking toward us.”

    They suspects got away and are still at large.

    Sgt. Scott Swenson, spokesman for the Broomfield Police Department, said no arrests have been made of the shoplifter or his accomplices.

    “It is an open, active investigation,” he said.

    Bergstreser acknowledged that Best Buy has a policy that store employees are not to come into bodily contact with customers or shoplifters, a policy designed for the personal safety of the employees. …

    http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_13151535

    So feel free to walk out of Best Buy with anything you want. The person at the door can’t stop you, and they will get fired if they come after you.

    Better than if someone dare sue the store…

  55. canary
    August 21, 2009 at 5:06 am

    US News & World Report: Take Poll grade Obama. Just takes 1 click
    I clicked “F” and the results showed he was getting more “F”s.

    http://www.usnews.com/articles.....think.html

  56. MinnesotaRush
    August 21, 2009 at 11:51 am

    Some very interesting poll numbers gathered from an AOL poll today (130,000 plus responses) which usually slants largely left.

    Do you believe President Barack Obama will make the right decisions for the country?
    No 80%
    Yes 20%

    Total Votes: 136,044

    Overall, how would you rate Obama as president?
    Poor 68%
    Fair 15%
    Good 9%
    Excellent 8%

    Total Votes: 134,519

  57. MinnesotaRush
    August 21, 2009 at 11:55 am

    And this from a Heritage Foundation alert I received:

    “Defense Budget Cuts and the Iranian Nuclear Threat”

    Two weeks ago, the London Times reported that Iran has perfected the technology to create and detonate a nuclear warhead. It would take the rouge state six months to enrich enough uranium for a nuclear bomb and another six months to assemble the warhead. If these reports are accurate, the Iranians could have a nuclear weapon as early as next year. This would pose a threat to the U.S. and its allies and is even more troubling when President Obama’s missile defense budget proposals for the fiscal year 2010 (FY2010) are considered

    The Obama Administration’s FY2010 proposal for missile defense scales back the number of ground-based midcourse defense (GMD) interceptors from 44 to 30. The President’s proposal also puts the program that would build an additional 10 such interceptors in Poland on hold. These are two key components to America’s missile defense systems that defend the U.S. and Europe against Iranian missiles.

    Intentionally or not, President Obama’s budget cuts will undermine the U.S. defenses against the Iranian threat. This decision by the Administration raises questions regarding whether or not President Obama thinks the threat of a nuclear Iran is real. Congress needs to ask itself whether Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities have caught up to those of the North Koreans, who have conducted 14 missile tests this year.

    As rogue states discover the techonology to enhance their missile threat capabilities, the U.S. needs to ensure that it is fielding an effective missile defense program. This will require a increase in the number of missile defense interceptors and supporting systems. While it is true that advanced technology can ease the pressures to field an excessive number of interceptors, the number still needs to be large enough to field an effective defense for the U.S. and its allies. Congress needs to insist that the Obama Administration includes enough funding for additional interceptors in the FY2010 budget.

    • proreason
      August 21, 2009 at 12:41 pm

      Historically, when things begin to go against demagogues and dictators to the extent they fear losing their power, they start wars.

  58. canary
    August 21, 2009 at 5:07 pm

    AP: Iraqi lawmakers seek review of security forces
    By Associated Press Writer Sameer N. Yacoub Aug 21 2009

    BAGHDAD – Senior Iraqi officials and lawmakers recommended a review .. as anger mounted

    A bombing that killed…after the truck used in the attack passed through an Iraqi police checkpoint without being searched, police said.

    caused some to wonder if the security transition from U.S. to Iraqi hands is happening too rapidly.

    “We still need American support for a period of time until our abilities are complete in intelligence and technical issues,” Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani said.

    U.S. troops withdrew from Iraqi cities on June 30, and the recent bombings have raised fears about the readiness of Iraqi forces to provide security..
    Under an Iraqi-U.S. security pact that took effect Jan. 1, American forces will withdraw from Iraq by the end of 2011. President Barack Obama has ordered all U.S. combat troops out of Iraq by Aug. 31, 2010, leaving up to 50,000 U.S. troops in training and advising roles.

    The blasts primarily targeted government buildings, including the foreign and finance ministries, killing at least 101 people and wounding more than 500.

    Thousands of detainees in U.S. custody have been freed or transferred into government custody as called for by the security pact. That has raised concern that many of the detainees —

    most of them Sunni men — have joined the insurgency upon their release.

    Several prominent followers of anti-U.S. Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and a rival Shiite group also have been released from U.S. custody in recent weeks. Amer al-Husseini, who ran an office for al-Sadr in Baghdad, confirmed he was freed on Thursday after more than a year in custody.

    “If the government is unable to protect the people, it can get the help from the occupying troops who are the reason for this catastrophe in Iraq,” Sunni Sheik Ahmed Hassan al-Taha said, using common rhetoric for U.S. forces.

    AP Writers Hamid Ahmed and Saad Abdul-Kadir contributed to this report.
    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200.....ea/ml_iraq

    First they say things are better without our American cowboys ways
    now it’s all the US’s fault.

  59. Rusty Shackleford
    August 21, 2009 at 7:25 pm

    Russia Firing 200k Military Officers

    August 17, 2009
    Associated Press

    KUBINKA, Russia — Nikolai Kulikov, a 51-year-old Army officer, says bitterly that he gave his best years to the Russian Army.

    Kulikov did a series of assignments across the Soviet Union and spent the past 10 years as head of security at the Air Force base in Kubinka, 40 miles west of Moscow.

    But today, he is one of 200,000 military officers who face early retirement, as Russia conducts a sweeping reform that will eliminate the jobs of six out of every 10 members of its top-heavy officer corps.

    The government says reducing the ranks of senior officers is just one of the changes needed to turn a behemoth institution of more than 1.1 million personnel into a modern army trained to fight terrorism and regional conflicts. But many in this army town say the reform doesn’t take people into consideration.

    Rest of aritcle:

    http://www.military.com/news/a.....icers.html

    —-You will note the sense of entitlement a Russian officer has when compared to ALL military personnel in the US Military. (well, most)

    “When I entered the Army back in 1975, I thought I’d be given a certain kind of lifestyle, you know, stability, housing, status,” said Kulikov, sitting in the temporary two-room apartment he shares with his 23-year-old son. “But after two decades, I have nothing to show for it. This place is exactly the size of a jail cell.”

    Kulikov has been waiting for a new apartment for 13 years, but claims he was removed from the waiting list several times because he angered his bosses. He also says corrupt officials are demanding $40,000 for his “free” apartment.

    —–Funny, how capitalism, no matter how unethical in this context, seems to creep in anyhow.

  60. Rusty Shackleford
    August 21, 2009 at 7:57 pm

    From an obedient AP:

    Stores like tax holidays; tax experts pan them

    By DAVE GRAM, Associated Press Writer Dave Gram, Associated Press Writer – Fri Aug 21, 4:28 pm ET

    MONTPELIER, Vt. – Brad Borofsky hopes a sales tax holiday this weekend will draw more buyers to his outfitters shop in search of kayaks, canoes and other high-end outdoor items. After all, who wouldn’t like a break on their taxes?

    Yet a growing chorus of national tax experts — both on the right and left — are panning sales tax holidays as a gimmick that does little to boost the economy and hurts already-sagging state revenues more than they help consumers.

    —–A “gimmick” that brings shoppers out who don’t have to pay Uncle Sugar when they shop? Especially when the profit dollars go to the retail industry? How does that NOT boost the economy???

    Rest of article:

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200.....x_holidays

    The writer of this article goes on to quote many sources that are pleased about the boost in revenue sales, but also shakes their finger at the “lost tax revenues”. I wonder why.

  61. canary
    August 21, 2009 at 10:41 pm

    Obama Wishes Rmadan Kareem to Muslims
    The Washington Post: By Garance Franke-Ruta Aug 21 2009

    President Obama released videotaped Ramadan wishes Friday, sending “best wishes to Muslims in America and around the world” and wishing them “Ramadan Kareem” on “behalf of the American people, including Muslim communities in all 50 states.”

    He also recapitulates his basic foreign policy positions involving Muslim nations. “We’re also committed to keeping our responsibility to build a world that is more peaceful and secure. That’s why we’re responsibly ending the war in Iraq,” he says, adding, “That is why we strongly and actively support a two-state solution that recognizes the rights of Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security. That is also why America will always stand for the universal rights of all people.”

    “I want to reiterate my commitment to a new beginning between America and Muslims around the world,” he continues, emphasizing his Cairo message of seeking common ground and that “an important part of this is listening.”

    “In last two months, American embassies around the world have reached out not just to governments but directly to people in Muslim-majority countries,” he says, adding, “We have listened, and, like you, we are focused on pursuing concrete actions that will make a difference over time. … These consultations are helping us implement the partnerships that I called for in Cairo.”

    “May God’s peace be upon you,” he concludes.

    Translations of his Ramadan message are provided on the White House Web site in Arabic, Bengali, Dari, French, Hindi, Indonesian, Pashto, Persian, Punjabi, Russian, Turkish and Urdu.

    http://voices.washingtonpost.c.....l?wprss=44

    Click link to hear Obama’s 5 minute commerical supporting the muslim
    Holiday. By the way,
    President Obama and his mother always honored the Rasmademn holidays. If we can’t have the Lords’ prayer than
    why should the President be able to talk about “his” religious beliefs.

  62. canary
    August 21, 2009 at 10:56 pm

    (Obama’s long Rasmademn prayer is surreal, he is so out of touch)

    Runaway convert to stay in Fla. pending hearing
    By Associated Press Writer Mike Schneider Aug 21 2009

    ORLANDO, Fla. – An Ohio teen who says she ran away from home because she feared punishment for converting from Islam to Christianity will stay in Florida while custody issues are being settled, a judge ruled Friday.

    Rifqa Bary, 17, will remain in foster care until another hearing Sept. 3, Judge Dan Dawson said. Authorities are still deciding whether the case should stay in Florida or return to Columbus, Ohio, where the teen lived with her parents and two brothers.

    Asked at the hearing if she wanted to say anything, Rifqa Bary replied, “I love my family. I love them so much … yet I’m so in fear of my life.” She then expressed her devotion to Christianity.

    Before the next hearing, he said, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement will finish investigating how the teen came to Florida and whether she is in any danger.

    The girl has since been assigned to a foster family approved by the Florida Department of Children and Families and is not with Lorenz, authorities said.

    The girl’s family is originally from Sri Lanka and emigrated in 2000 to seek medical help for Rifqa, who had lost sight in her right eye when she fell er.

    and Florida House Majority Leader Adam Hasner said that “no one, child or adult, should have to fear for their lives because of their religious choices.”

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200.....ay_convert

  63. Dave2882
    August 25, 2009 at 8:16 pm

    wrong thread

  64. Dave2882
    August 25, 2009 at 8:17 pm

    double post

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